35Z4IS 


THEiSERMON  ON  THE  MOUNT. 


Cyv^-<^^''\y^    i^^'-y.^^^-^  ^ 


-'•■N    2    1936 


THE  SERMON  OT%oo...u.>^ 
THE  MOUNT 


A  PRACTICAL  STUDY  OF 
CHAPTERS  V-VII  OF  ST. 
MATTHEW'S    GOSPEL 


By  prof.  M.  LOY,  D.  D. 


Columbus,  Ohio 

LUTHERAN  Book  Concern 

1909 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Section     1.     Introduction   9 

MATTHEW,  CHAPTER  V. 

Section    2.     The  Beatitudes,  v.  1-12 24 

3.  The  High  Calling,  v.  13-16 73 

4.  The  Better  Righteousness,  v.   17-20 102 

5.  The  Law   Illustrated,   v.   21-37 127 

6.  The  Bond  of  Perfectness,  V.   38-48 148 

MATTHEW,  CHAPTER  VI. 

Section    7.    The   Sincere   Service,  v.   1-8 174 

8.  The  Model  Prayer,  v.  9-15 185 

9.  The   Pharisaic  Fasting,  v.   16-18 204 

10.  The  Abiding  Treasures,  v.  19-22 215 

11.  The  Life  of  Truth,  v.  23-34 225 

MATTHEW,  CHAPTER  VIL 

Section  12.    The  Walk  in  Wisdom,  v.  1-11 249 

13.  The  Golden  Rule,  v.  12 265 

14.  The  Narrow  Way,  v.  13.  14 280 

15.  The  Voice  of  Warning,  15-23 293 

16.  The  Wise  Builder,   v.  24-27 311 


(6) 


THE  SERMON  ON  THE  MOUNT. 


SECTION  L 

Introduction. 

fN  the  first  year  of  His  public  ministry  Jesus  returned 
to  Galilee  from  a  sorrowful  journey  to  Jerusalem. 
Leaving  Nazareth,  which  had  been  His  home,  "He 
came  and  dwelt  in  Capernaum,  which  is  upon  the  sea 
coast."  After  a  day  of  toil,  "He  went  out  into  a  mountain 
to  pray,  and  continued  all  night  in  prayer."  In  the  morn- 
ing He  called  His  disciples  about  Him,  and  selected 
twelve  to  be  His  constant  companions  and  ministers, 
who  formed  "the  glorious  company  of  Apostles."  The 
place  was  probably  the  elevation  known  as  the  Horns; 
of  Hattin,  not  far  distant  from  Capernaum,  on  the  Gali- 
lean lake. 

"And  Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their 
synagogues,  and  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom, 
and  healing  all  manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  dis- 
eases among  the  people.    And  His  fame  went  throughout 
all  Syria;  and  they  brought  to  Him  all  manner  of  sick 
people  that  Avere  taken  with  divers  diseases  and  torments, 
and  those  which  were  possessed  with  devils,  and  those 
which  were  lunatic,  and  those  that  had  the  palsy;  and  He' 
healed  them.     And  there  followed  Him  great  multitudes 
of  people  from   Galilee,  and  from  Decapolis,  and  from 
Judea,  and  from  beyond  Jordan.     And  seeing  the  multi-1 
tudes,  He  went  up  into  a  mountain;  and  when  He  was  set,  j 
His  disciples  came  unto  Him ;  and  He  opened  His  mouth 
and  taught  them."    With  these  words  St.  Matthew  intro-j 
duces  the  greatest  sermon  which  was  ever  preached  on 
earth,  and  which,  from  the  place  where  it  was  delivered, 
is  commonly  called  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

9 


10  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

The  scope  of  this  magnificent  oration,  notwithstand- 
ing the  multiplicity  of  the  topics  discussed,  is  not  diflficult 
to  apprehend.  The  people  were  not  yet  prepared  for  a 
complete  presentation  of  the  Gospel  with  its  glorious 
plan  of  salvation  through  faith  in  the  Lamb  of  God  that 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  and  for  this  we  must 
not  look  in  the  sermon,  although  it  is  the  longest  of  our 
Lord's  recorded  discourses.  No  direct  mention  is  made 
of  the  redemption  through  His  obedience  unto  death,  and  of 
its  application  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  of  its  appropriation 
by  faith.  It  expounds  and  applies  the  law,  under  whose 
tuition  and  discipline  God  had  since  the  time  of  Moses 
been  preparing  the  children  of  Israel  for  the  advent  of 
the  Savior,  who  was  promised  with  ever  increasing  clear- 
ness since  the  entrance  of  sin  into  the  world  through 
Adam's  fall.  The  scope  of  the  sermon  is  therefore  misap- 
prehended when  it  is  presumed  to  be  the  setting  forth  of 
the  essentials  of  Christianity,  that  should  serve  as  a  com- 
pend  of  the  religion  which  Christ  introduced  and  estab- 
lished on  earth  for  the  salvation  of  fallen  man.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Scriptures  salvation  is  not  by  the  Law,  however 
fully  and  forcibly  it  may  be  presented,  but  by  the  grace 
of  God  in  Christ,  as  it  is  revealed  in  the  Gospel.  "The 
Law  was  given  by  Moses,  but  grace  and  truth  came  by 
Jesus  Christ."  John  1,  17.  How  great  the  error  is  of 
assuming  that  souls  condemned  because  of  sin  are  saved 
by  obeying  the  divine  commandments  is  shown  by  St. 
Paul's  words :  "Christ  is  become  of  no  effect  unto  you, 
whosoever  of  you  are  justified  by  the  law."  Gal.  5,  4. 
That  which  condemns  us  as  sinners  cannot  be  that  which 
justifies  us  as  sinless.  The  Law  makes  known  to  us  our 
sin,  which  is  the  transgression  of  the  Law ;  and  it  is  power- 
less to  save  not  only  when  it  is  misunderstood  by  the 
carnal  mind,  but  also  when  it  is  made  plain  to  us  in  its 
spiritual  import  by  our  Lord's  exposition  of  its  deeper 
significance.    Indeed,  the  curse  which  it  pronounces  upon 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

man's  transgression  becomes  all  the  more  effective  and  em- 
phatic when  we  learn  that  it  requires  not  only  holy  words 
and  works,  but  holy  hearts.  The  sermon  on  the  mount 
gives  us  the  much  needed  light  on  the  spiritual  meaning  of 
the  Law  and  the  depth  of  our  sinful  depravity  in  our 
inward  rebellion  against  its  holiness,  but  contains  not  the 
slightest  intimation  that  it  would,  under  any  view  of  its 
import  or  any  attitude  assumed  towards  it,  deliver  us 
from  the  condemnation  which  it  pronounces  upon  our 
sinful  race. 

On  the  other  hand  it  is  an  unwarranted  restriction 
when  the  attempt  is  made  to  exclude  the  Gospel  entirely 
from  our  minds  in  studying  the  sermon.  The  admission 
that  it  treats  mainly  of  the  Law  by  no  means  implies  such 
a  restriction  of  its  meaning.  Nothing  is  more  needful 
for  a  correct  understanding  of  the  Scriptures  than  a  proper 
distinction  between  Law  and  Gospel.  We  can  understand 
neither  in  its  pure  import  and  purpose  when  we  confound 
the  one  with  the  other.  To  tell  people  what  God  requires 
of  us  in  the  ten  commandments,  and  then  teach  them  that 
their  only  hope  of  eternal  life  must  rest  on  their  fulfill- 
ment of  these  requirements,  leads  to  despair.  It  may  be 
a  correct  statement  of  the  demands  which  the  Creator 
justly  makes  upon  His  intelligent  creatures,  but  it  is  a 
false  presentation  of  the  way  of  salvation  revealed  in 
Holy  Scripture.  Even  when  the  Law  of  the  Lord  is 
studied,  we  need  the  Gospel  in  order  to  understand  the 
Lord's  will  and  to  walk  in  the  way  by  which  He  would 
lead  us  to  the  blessedness  of  eternal  life. 

That  the  sermon  on  the  mount  is  an  exposition  of  the  \ 
Law  which  was  given  by  Moses  is  plain  to  every  attentive 
reader's  view;  but  it  should  be  just  as  plain  to  every 
Christian  reader  that  the  exposition  was  not  designed  to 
ignore  and  set  aside  the  grace  and  truth  which  came  by 
Jesus  Christ,  but  must  stand  in  intimate  relation  to  it  in 
the  divine  economy.     The  purpose  of  the  sermon  mani- 


12  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

festly  is  to  show  the  righteousness  which  God's  Law  re-\ 
quires  and  which  must  prevail  in  His  kingdom.     It  does  ! 
not  abrogate  or  mitigate  the  divine  commands  or  furnish  ! 
a  new  code  to  supplant  the  old;  but  it  removes  the  rubbish  ] 
under  Avhich  the  Jews  had  buried  its  meaning,  and  sets  ! 
in  a  clear  light  the  holiness  which  it  requires.    The  right- 
eous  Law   is   thus  restored   to   its  original   purity   and 
majesty,  and  rescued  from  the.  depravation  into  which 
false  teachers  had  brought  it  by  their  human  ordinances 
and  traditions,  and  thus  reduced  it  to  a  level  with  the 
carnal  impulses  and  dictates  of  man  in  his  fallen  estate. 
Our  Savior,  by  doing  this  needful  work,  does  not  become 
a  neAV  Lawgiver,  as  if  Moses'  work  had  become  obsolete, 
but  He  does  render  the  old  Law,  which  is  holy  and  good, 
effectual  to  accomplish  its  end  in  the  divine  plan  of  salva- 
tion. 

Our  study  of  the  sermon  must,  therefore,  embrace 
all  the  implications  of  its  words  as  these  are  known  to  us 
from  other  portions  of  Scripture,  all  of  which  He  camei 
to  fulfill.  His  advent  into  the  world  had  not  the  design  , 
to  enforce  the  Law  and  its  penalties  upon  its  sinful  peo-  1 
pie.  "For  God  sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn 
the  world,  but  that  the  world  through  Him  might  be 
saved."  John  3,  17.  To  this  the  Law  is  meant  to  be  tribu- 
tary. It  does  not  save  us,  but  it  can  show  us  God's  right- 
eousness and  our  sin,  and  thus  be  serviceable  in  leading 
us  to  the  Savior.  "For  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  Law  for 
righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth."  Rom.  10,  4. 
In  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  therefore,  we  propose  to  study 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  not  overlooking  the  fact  that  it 
is  our  Lord's  exposition  of  the  Law,  but  always  keeping 
in  mind  that  the  Law  was  always  and  is  now,  not  an  inde- 
pendent way  of  salvation,  but  "our  schoolmaster  to  bring 
us  unto  Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith.  But 
after  that  faith  is  come  we  are  no  longer  under  a  school- 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

I 

master.     For  ye  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus."    Gal.  3,  24-26. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  from  the  words  of  St.  Paul, 
"we  are  no  longer  under  a  schoolmaster,"  that  the  law 
has  lost  its  divine  authority  and  is  now  without  a  voca- 
tion and  a  purpose  in  the  divine  economy.  That  would 
indicate  a  reckless  reading  of  the  apostle's  statement. 
If  the  inference  were  true,  the  sermon  on  the  mount 
would  be  of  little  moment  to  us  Christians,  who  are 
saved  by  grace  and  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  glory  through 
faith  in  a  crucified  and  risen  Savior.  But  it  is  not  true, 
and  the  sermon  does  concern  us  and  all  men  as  a  reve- 
lation of  God's  holy  will,  that  binds  us  all  and  holds  us 
all  to  a  strict  account,  as  the  law  by  which  the  whole 
earth  shall  be  finally  judged. 

Those  who  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  are  in- 
deed no  longer  under  the  schoolmaster  who  was  ap- 
pointed to  lead  them  to  the  Savior.  When  that  is  ac- 
complished in  them  they  have  become  the  children  of 
God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  are  justified  by  that 
faith,  because  Christ  is  "made  unto  them  wisdom  and 
righteousness  and  sanctification  and  redemption."  1 
Cor.  1,  30.  They  have  no  cause  to  tremble  at  the  fulmi- 
nations  of  God's  Avrath  upon  every  soul  of  man  that  doeth 
evil,  because  they  have  found  refuge  in  One  who  is 
mighty  to  save  and  whose  robe  of  righteousness  covers 
all  their  sins,  so  that  for  the  sake  of  His  merits,  ac- 
quired by  His  vicarious  obedience  unto  death  for  all 
men,  they  stand  acquitted  now  and  shall  stand  acquitted 
on  the  judgment  day."  Therefore  we  conclude  that  a  man 
is  justified  by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law."  Rom. 
3,  28.  They  are  not  under  the  curse  of  the  law  which 
is  revealed  against  all  unrighteousness  and  ungodliness 
of  men,  neither  are  tliey  under  the  constraints  which  are 
laid  upon  men  by  its  threatenings  of  indignation  and 


14  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

wrath  upon  those  who  transgress  its  holy  command- 
ments. In  that  respect  they  are  free  from  the  law.  They 
are  not  required  to  fulfill  it  in  order  to  be  saved  from  its 
condemnation;  for  Christ  has  fulfilled  it  for  them,  that 
they  might  be  saved  through  Him.  They  are  not  driven 
to  obey  its  righteous  requirements  by  fearful  menaces 
of  eternal  perdition;  for  Christ  has  given  them  hearts 
that  love  righteousness  and  delight  to  do  His  holy  will. 
"For  we  are  His  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus 
unto  good  works,  which  God  hath  before  ordained  that 
we  should  walk  in  them."  Eph.  2,  10. 

The  schoolmaster  has  done  his  work  when  he  has 
brought  us  to  see  our  sinfulness  and  helplessness  and  to 
realize  our  wretchedness  under  the  fearful  penalties 
which  the  law  denounces  upon  the  sinner,  and  when  he 
has  thus  prepared  the  way  for  the  Gospel  with  its  gra- 
cious announcement  of  pardon  and  peace  to  all  who  re-^ 
pent  and  believe.  And  for  this  the  law,  and  the  sermon  \ 
on  the  mount  which  expounds  its  spiritual  meaning,  is 
still  necessary.  For  all  men  have  sinned  and  come  short 
of  the  glory  of  God,  and  none  can  escape  the  condemna- 
tion declared  against  sinners  except  by  coming  to  the 
Savior,  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins 
of  the  world.  But  to  this  end  a  knowledge  of  our  sin 
is  indispensable;  for  no  one  will  come  to  the  Savior 
who  denies  his  need  of  salvation  and  no  one  will  accept 
His  help  who  proudly  denies  that  he  has  any  need  of 
help.  The  way  into  the  kingdom  of  God  is  the  way  of 
repentance.  There  never  was  and  never  can  be  any  other 
way  to  the  salvation  prepared  for  us  in  Christ  than  that 
of  recognizing  our  lost  estate  in  sin,  that  we  may  flee 
for  refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  us  in  Christ.  Therefore 
men  everywhere  need  the  law  now  as  they  djd  when  our 
Lord  preached  the  sermon  on  the  mount. 

And  we  Christians  need  it  still,  though  its  office  of 
schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto  Christ  is  accomplished  in 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

all  them  that  believe  and  are  thus  no  longer  under  the 
schoolmaster.  But  our  relation  to  it  is  changed.  It  is 
to  us  a  revelation  of  God's  will  in  His  holiness,  as  it  is 
to  all  men.  This  will  is  unchangeable,  as  God  Himself 
is  unchangeable.  Its  authority  is  universal  and  eternal, 
because  it  is  divine.  But  believers  are  not  under  it  as 
man  is  in  his  natural  condition  of  slaverj^  to  sin.  He  is 
free  from  its  condemnation,  because  Christ,  who  is 
mighty  to  save,  assumed  our  nature  and  our  sin,  and 
accepted  its  condemnation  in  our  stead.  For  God  "hath 
made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin,  that  we 
might  be  made  the  rigliteousness  of  God  in  Him."  1 
Cor.  5,  21.  "Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of 
the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for  us."  Gal.  3,  15.  The 
way  of  salvation  is  plain.  "God  so  loved  the  world  that 
He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth 
in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 
John  3,  16.  He  came  into  this  world  of  sin  and  death 
not  to  condemn  fallen  mankind,  and  not  to  teach  us  how 
to  save  ourselves  from  the  curse  which  the  violated  law 
pronounces  upon  us,  but  to  save  us.  No  teaching  could 
enable  us  to  do  what  sin  has  made  impossible.  We 
cannot  fulfill  the  holy  law  of  God,  and  we  cannot  by  any 
power  in  our  disabled  nature  escape  the  penalty  of  trans- 
gression. The  wages  of  sin  is  death.  Only  God  can  save 
us,  and  He  sent  His  Son  to  effect  our  salvation.  "  For 
God  sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the 
world,  but  that  the  world  through  Him  might  be  saved. 
He  that  believeth  on  Him  is  not  condemned;  but  he  that 
believeth  not  is  condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not 
believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God." 
eTohn  3,  17-18.  Salvation  is  by  faith  in  the  Savior.  "Be 
it  known  unto  you  all,  and  to  all  the  j)eople  of  Israel, 
that  by  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  whom  ye 
crucified,  whom  God  raised  from  the  dead,  even  by  Him 
doth  this  man  stand  here  before  you  whole.    This  is  the 


16  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

stone  which  was  set  at  naught  of  you  builders,  which  is 
become  the  head  of  the  corner.  Neither  is  there  salva- 
tion in  any  other;  for  there  is  none  other  name  under 
heaven  given  among  men  whereby  we  must  be  saved." 
Acts  4,  10-12. 

It  is  plain  therefore  that  salvation  cannot  be  by  the 
law.  That  would  mean  that  we  need  no  Savior,  implying 
either  that  we  have  no  sin  on  account  of  which  the  law 
could   condemn  and  pronounce  its  sentence  of  eternal 
death  upon  us,  or  that,  if  we  have  transgressed  or  in  any 
way  come  short  of  the  law's  requirements,  we  are  able 
to  make  good  our  failure  and  satisfy  all  just  demands 
that  righteousness  may  make  upon  us.     Lamentable  as 
it  is,  not  only  are  there  millions  who  sit  in  the  darkness 
which  Satan  has  brought  into  the  world  and  persist  in 
denying  their  sinfulness  and  asserting  their  own  righte- 
ousness, but  there  are  also  other  millions  who  profess  to 
be  Christians  and  still  nurse  the  flattering  delusion,  that 
they  are  good  enough  to  have  a  just  claim  upon  the  man- 
sions in  our  Father's  house,  and  a  cheering  hope  that  the 
God  of  love  will  not  banish  them  from  His  presence  for 
any  little  faults,  which  are  common  to  men,  that  may 
still  appear  as  defects  in  their  righteousness.     Thus  the 
Savior  stands  at  the  door  of  multitudes  and  knocks  in 
vain  for  entrance  into  their  hearts,  because  they  feel  no 
need  of  any  closer  communion  with  Him  or  of  any  saving 
grace  that  He  might  impart.    People  who  have  the  Bible 
and  access  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  have  no  ex- 
cuse for  such  a  treatment  of  the  Savior,  who  died  for 
their  offenses  and  rose  again  for  their  justification.  They 
have  the  opportunity  to  know  better.    The  natural  man, 
in  his  ignorance  of  spiritual  things  and  in  his  blindness 
under  the  disabling  power  of  sin,  may  deem  his  course 
reasonable  when  he  prates  of  his  own  goodness  and  glo- 
rious deeds  which  even  transcend  the  requirements  of 
the  law,  but  the  regenerated  soul,  confessing  faith  in 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

Christ,  must  blush  and  tremble  at  such  a  treatment  of 
the  Savior;  for  He  comes  to  deliver  us  from  the  satanic 
dream  of  self-righteousness,  which  has  no  room  for  sal- 
vation by  grace  and  tramples  under  foot  the  purchase 
of  His  blood,  and  to  extend  His  pitying  and  powerful 
arms  to  snatch  us  as  brands  from  the  burning  and  bring 
us,  notwithstanding  all  our  sin  and  unworthiness,  to  His 
glorious  abode  of  bliss  in  heaven.  The  hope  of  righteous- 
ness and  salvation  by  our  own  fulfillment  of  the  law  is 
suggested  and  encouraged  by  the  enemy  of  our  souls  to 
keep  us  away  from  Christ,  who  alone  can  save  us.  Of 
this  faithful  Christians  who  believe  the  Word  of  God  are 
sure.  For  the  Holy  Spirit  explicitly  declares,  not  only 
that  there  is  no  other  name  than  that  of  Jesus  given 
whereby  we  can  be  saved,  but  also  that  the  law,  in  which 
so  many  trust,  is  not  available  for  the  sinner's  justifica- 
tion, and  that  trusting  in  it  can  only  lead  to  destruction. 
"For  if  there  had  been  a  law  given  that  could  have  given 
life,  verily  righteousness  should  have  been  by  the  law. 
But  the  Scripture  hath  concluded  all  under  sin,  that  the 
promise  by  faith  might  be  given  to  all  them  that  believe." 
Gal.  3,  21.  22.  The  law  could  only  demand  that  we 
should  be  holy,  and  thus  pleasing  to  God,  but  it  could 
not  and  cannot  make  us  holy  and  remove  God's  displeas- 
ure when  we  have  transgressed  its  holy  requirements. 
Only  God,  against  whom  we  have  sinned,  can  deliver 
us  from  the  curse  which  sin  has  brought  upon  us,  "For 
what  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak  through 
the  flesh,  God  sending  His  own  Son  in  the  likeness  of 
sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh,  that 
the  righteousness  of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled  in  us, 
who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit."  Rom. 
8,  3,  4.  Therefore  it  is  emphatically  declared  that  those 
who  rely  upon  the  works  of  the  law  to  establish  a  righte- 
ousness which  will  entitle  them  to  admission  into  the 
kingdom  of  glory,   are  deceiving  themselves  and  com- 

2 


18  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

passing  their  own  ruin,  because  while  they  thus  trust  in 
that  which  cannot  save  they  are  rejecting  the  only  Sa- 
vior of  men.  "Christ  is  become  of  no  effect  unto  you, 
whosoever  of  you  are  justified  by  the  law:  ye  are  fallen 
from  grace.  For  we  through  the  Spirit  wait  for  the 
hope  of  righteousness  by  faith."  Gal.  5,  4.  5.  The  law 
serves  a  good  purpose  still,  and  Christ  expounded  it  that 
it  might  accomplish  its  end;  but  that  purpose  is  not  the 
sinner's  justification  by  the  works  of  the  law,  which  is 
impossible.  On  the  contrary,  it  is,  aside  from  restrain- 
ing bad  men  from  nefarious  deeds  by  the  terrors  of 
threatened  damnation,  the  exposure  of  sin  in  the  sinner's 
consciousness,  that  he  may  give  heed  to  the  remedy  that 
is  offered  him  in  the  Gospel.  "For  Christ  is  the  end  of 
the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth." 
Rom.  10,  4.  The  sermon  on  the  mount  was  preached  in 
the  interest  of  the  great  salvation  which  came  by  the 
grace  and  truth  which  were  revealed  through  Christ,  and 
its  preaching  of  the  law  as  a  schoolmaster  to  bring  us 
unto  Him  for  salvation  is  always  needed  in  our  world 
of  sin. 

But  more  than  this  concerns  us  in  our  Lord's  exposi- 
tion of  the  Law.  It  is  meant  for  all  Christians  of  all 
time,  and  when  men  err  in  its  application,  the  error  does 
not  lie  in  assuming  the  sermon  to  be  authoritative  as  a 
divine  guide  to  right  life  in  Christ's  kingdom.  That  is  not  a 
mistake.  The  will  of  God  always  was  man's  righteousness 
and  never  could  be  otherwise.  Be  ye  holy,  for  the  Lord 
your  God  is  holy.  That  has  ever  been  the  law  of  God's  gov- 
ernment. And  that  is  the  law  which  our  Savior  explains 
and  enforces  in  this  sermon.  The  error  of  the  legalists 
Mes  in  their  attempt  to  substitute  that  law  for  the  Gospel, 
and  thus  to  make  Christ  a  minister  of  Moses  instead  of 
accepting  Him  as  the  Savior  of  the  world.  The  effect  of 
such  error  is  to  keep  people  under  the  bondage  of  the  law, 
and  to  deprive  them  of  the  grace  and  truth  which  came  by 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

Jesus  Christ,  and  of  the  peace  and  joj  which  come  by  faith 
in  Him  as  their  Kedeemer  from  sin  and  death,  "Now  we 
know  that  what  things  soever  the  law  saith,  it  saith  to 
them  who  are  under  the  law,  that  every  mouth  may  be 
stopped,  and  all  the  world  may  become  guilty  before  God. 
Tlierefore,  by  the  deeds  of  the  law  there  shall  no  flesh  be 
justified  in  His  sight;  for  by  the  law  is  the  knowledge  of 
sin.  But  now  the  righteousness  of  God  without  the  law 
is  manifested,  being  witnessed  by  the  law  and  tlie  proph- 
ets, even  the  righteousness  of  God  which  is  by  faith  of 
Jesus  Christ  unto  all  and  upon  all  them  that  believe;  for 
there  is  no  ditterence;  for  all  have  sinned  and  come  short 
of  the  glory  of  God,  being  justified  freely  by  His  grace 
through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  whom 
God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith  in 
His  blood,  to  declare  His  righteousness  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins  that  are  past."  Rom.  3,  19-2.5.  It  is  a  grave 
offense  against  the  majesty  and  mercy  of  our  Savior,  and 
a  fatal  subversion  of  the  grace  and  truth  which  He  brought 
to  men,  to  represent  the  sermon  on  the  mount  as  expound- 
ing the  law  with  a  view  to  securing  the  salvation  of  sin- 
ners by  their  obedience  to  its  holy  commandments.  The 
law  declares  all  men  guilty  and  pronounces  condemna- 
tion on  them;  by  the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin.  Not 
a  word  is  spoken  in  the  sermon  that  would  be  fairly  sub- 
ject even  to  the  suspicion  that  it  teaches  justification  by 
the  deeds  of  the  law.  By  these  no  flesh  can  be  justified. 
Christ  came  to  save  us  from  the  sin  and  death  which  the 
laAv  makes  known  to  us,  and  whicli  thus  Ix'comes  our 
schoolmaster  to  bring  us  to  Christ  that  we  may  find  salva- 
tion in  Him.  He  "is  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness 
to  every  one  tliat  believeth,"  and  for  this  purpose  He  ex- 
pounds the  law. 

But  when  this  purpose  has  been  accomplished  and 
souls  Itave  been  brought  to  repentance  and  faith  in  Him 
unto  tlie  forgiveness  of  their  sins  niul   ov(M'lnsfiii";  s;ilva- 


20  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

tion  through  His  grace,  and  when  the  law  has  done  its 
work  as  the  schoolmaster  and  these  believing  souls  are 
free  from  its  bondage  and  its  condemnation,  it  still  has  an 
office  to  perform  Avith  regard  to  them,  and  the  sermon 
on  the  mount  effectually  performs  it.  The  law  does  not 
regenerate  the  sinner  and  fit  him  for  the  kingdom  of 
righteousness  and  glory,  but  it  does  show  believers  how 
they  ought  to  live  and  please  God  when  they  have  been 
thus  fitted  by  His  grace.  "Do  we  then  make  void  the  law 
through  faith?  God  forbid:  yea,  we  establish  the  law." 
Eom.  3,  31.  For  our  Savior  fulfills  it  in  our  stead  by  His 
obedience  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross,  and 
gives  us  grace  that  we  may  delight  to  do  His  will  and 
freely  walk  in  the  path  of  His  precepts. 

The  disciples  of  Christ  are  therefore  exhorted  to  walk 
worthy  of  their  vocation  in  that  holiness  which  grace  has 
made  possible  to  them  when  their  hearts  have  been  purified 
by  faith,  "Christ  being  raised  from  the  dead,  dieth  no 
more :  death  hath  no  more  dominion  over  Him.  For  in 
that  He  died.  He  died  unto  sin  once;  but  in  that  He  liveth, 
He  liveth  unto  God.  Likewise  reckon  ye  also  yourselves 
to  be  dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Let  not  sin  therefore  reign  in  your 
moital  body,  that  ye  should  obey  it  in  the  lusts  thereof. 
Neither  yield  ye  your  members  as  instruments  of  unright- 
eousness unto  sin ;  but  yield  yourselves  unto  God,  as  those 
that  are  alive  from  the  dead,  and  your  members  as  instru- 
ments of  righteousness  unto  God.  For  sin  shall  not  have 
dominion  over  you ;  for  ye  are  not  under  the  law,  but 
under  grace.  What  then?  Shall  we  sin  because  we  are 
not  under  the  law,  but  under  grace?  God  forbid."  Rom. 
6,  9-15, 

The  believer,  who  by  the  faith  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
has  wrought  in  Him  through  the  Gospel  hits  escaped  the 
curse  of  the  law,  is  now  empowered. by  the  grace  of  God 
to  love  the  way  of  holiness  and  bear  fruit  to  His  glory. 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

The  law  is  to  him  still  a  guide  on  that  way,  because  it  is 
tlie  revelation  of  his  ^laker's  holy  will,  for  whose  service 
he  v.as  cieated  and  rede(Mned  and  renewed.  It  is  not  made 
more  rigorous  by  our  I^ord's  teaching,  for  it  was  perfect 
from  the  beginning;  but  neither  was  it  softened  and 
lowered  in  its  reiiuirements  by  Tlis  mercy,  because  the 
judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether. 
Those  who  look  upon  the  new  covenant  as  a  modified  legal 
system  of  righteousness,  by  which  the  demands  made  ujwn 
man  are  diminished  and  the  way  of  salvation  is  made 
broader,  have  j^et  to  learn  the  first  elements  of  Christian- 
ity, which  knows  no  salvation  by  the  deeds  of  the  law. 
But  still  Christians  need  it,  though  they  are  not  under  its 
constraints  and  its  curse,  but  under  grace.  The  Holy 
Spirit  who  is  given  them  sanctifies  and  leads  them  in  the 
way  of  the  divine  commandments,  Avliich  is  the  way  of 
holiness.  Freedom  from  the  law  therefore  does  not  mean 
license  to  live  after  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  but  liberty  from 
the  bondage  of  sin,  that  we  might  freely  serve  the  living 
God.  "For  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us ;  because  we 
thus  judge,  that  if  one  died  for  all,  then  were  all  dead; 
and  that  He  died  for  all,  that  they  which  live  should  not 
henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him  which  died 
for  them  and  rose  again.''  2  Cor.  5,  14-15.  When  under 
the  law  the}'  have  learned  their  sinfulness  and  their  con- 
demnation and  their  helplessness,  and  despairing  of  sal- 
vation by  any  righteousness  which  their  efforts  could  se- 
cure under  its  terms,  they  have  conu'  to  Jesus  and  ac- 
cepted His  pardon  and  peace  through  faith  in  His  name, 
they  are  bless(Ml  with  the  good  will  to  serve  the  Lord  that 
bought  them,  and  bear  fruits  of  holiness  to  His  praise 
forever. 

That  Christians,  who  are  thus  inwardly  disposed  to 
live  righteously  and  who  are  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  paths  of  righteousness,  should  still  be  exhorted  to  do 
what  they  are  disposed  to  do  with  their  might,  seems  an 


22  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

inconsistency.  But  it  can  seem  so  only  to  those  who  have 
little  knowledge  of  the  Christian  life.  St.  Paul  explains 
the  difficulty  when  he  writes :  "We  know  that  the  law  is 
spiritual,  but  I  am  carnal,  sold  under  sin."  "For  I  know 
that  in  me  (that  is,  in  my  flesh,)  dwelleth  no  good  thing; 
for  to  will  is  present  with  me,  but  how  to  perform  that 
which  is  good  I  find  not."'  "1  delight  in  the  law  of  God 
after  the  inward  man;  but  I  see  another  law  in  my  mem- 
bers warring  against  the  law  of  my  mind  and  bringing 
me  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin  which  is  in  my  mem- 
bers." Rom.  7,  15-23.  This  warfare  between  the  spirit 
and  the  flesh  is  a  matter  of  common  Christian  experience, 
and  it  imposes  upon  us  a  struggle  against  tlie  sin  that  is 
in  us  which  continues  during  our  earthly  life.  Satan,  by 
craft  and  cunning,  by  menaces  and  enticements,  makes 
use  of  the  trying  situation  to  compass  the  believers'  fall 
from  gTace,  and  they  ai^e  in  daily  danger,  because  of  the 
infirmity  of  the  flesh,  of  growing  weary  in  well-doing  and 
yielding  to  the  allurements  of  sin.  Tliey  must  watch  and 
pray  that  they  enter  not  into  temptation,  and  earnest 
warnings  are  given  of  the  peril  that  besets  them  if  they 
become  careless  in  using  the  means  of  grace  and  turn 
to  the  beggarly  elements  of  the  world.  "For  if  ye  live 
after  the  flesh,  ye  shall  die ;  but  if  ye  through  the  Spirit  do 
mortify  the  deeds  of  the  body,  ye  shall  live.  For  as  many 
as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God." 
Rom.  8,  13-14. 

In  the  light  of  these  truths,  which  will  serve  for  our 
guidance  at  many  a  point,  we  propose  to  enter  upon  a 
practical  study  of  the  great  sermon  on  the  mount,  hoping 
that  the  occupation  with  its  heavenly  lessons  will,  by  the 
blessing  of  our  ever  present  Lord  and  Savior,  be  profit- 
able for  the  reader's  instruction  in  righteou-sness  and  his 
establishment  in  grace.  We  shall  divide  the  sermon  into 
sections  for  greater  convenience  in  considering  its  com- 
forts and  setting  forth  its  various  topics.    These  divisions 


INTRODUCTION.  23 

are  mostly  indicated  by  the  different  subjects  presented, 
although  in  a  few  instances,  especially  in  the  seventh 
chapter,  the  verses  have  no  obvious  connection  as  parts 
of  a  larger  theme.  In  all  cases  it  shall  be  our  endeavor  to 
ascertain  and  set  forth  the  truth  which  our  Lord's  words 
were  designed  to  convey. 


SECTION  IL 
The  Beatitudes. 
(Matthew  5,  J-J2.) 

mOTHING  could  be  more  appropriate  than  that  the 
great  sermon  preached  by  Him  who  came  into 
the   world,   that  the  world  through  Him  might 
be  saved,   should   begin  with   beatitudes,   or  blessings, 
which  are  all  dependent  upon  His  life  and  death  of  obe- 
dience for  our  salvation.     He  announces  the  Gospel  of 
grace  by  setting  forth  results  which  are  attained  in  His 
kingdom,  although  He  does  not  now  enter  upon  any  ex- 
plicit  statement    of    His    gracious    work    of    redemption 
and  its  appropriation  by  faith,  through  which  these  re- 
sults are  accomplished.     That  they  may  be  attained  He 
directs  attention  to  necessary  qualifications  for  citizen- 
ship in  His  kingdom,  that  the  law  may  do  its  preparatory 
work  in  the  hearts  of  His  hearers,  and  get  the  ground 
1  ready  for  the  seed  of  the  Gospel,  which  brings  salvation 
to  the  lost  and  life  to  the  dead  in  sin.    The  blessings  are 
'not  pronounced  upon  all  men  who  hear  the  gracious  an- 
jnouncement,  but  only  on  those  whose  condition  is  desig- 
jnated  and  who  are  thus  qualified  for  the  benediction. 

I.  "Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit;  for  theirs  is  the 
kingdom  of  God."  The  kingdom  of  God  with  all  its  grace 
and  glory  is  promised  to  all  who  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden  and  come  to  Him,  whose  words  are  spirit  and  life, 
that  they  may  find  rest  for  their  souls. 

1.  The  whole  situation  makes  it  evident  that  it  is  not 
poverty  in  regard  to  the  goods  of  this  world  that  the  Sa- 
vior has  in  view.  Lack  of  material  wealth  is  not  a  quali- 
fication for  the  kingdom  which  is  not  of  this  world.    The 

24 


THE   BEATITUDES.  25 

Scriptures  do  indeed  frequently  speak  of  the  poor  and 
the  rich  in  terms  suggestive,  in  the  economy  of  divine 
providence,  of  an  advantage  possessed  by  the  former  over 
the  latter.  It  would  seem  as  if  those  who  must  bear  the 
burden  and  inconvenience  of  poverty  were  to  have  some 
compensation  in  receiving  a  larger  measure  of  oppor- 
tunity for  spiritual  gifts,  while  those  who  have  received, 
their  good  things  in  this  life  receive  their  evil  things  ini 
the  life  to  come.  God  cares  for  the  poor  and  commands 
His  children  to  consider  them  and  supply  their  needs. \ 
On  the  other  hand  riches  are  represented  as  a  danger 
against  whose  seductive  wiles  we  must  be  ever  on  our 
guard.  But  neither  earthly  poverty  nor  wealth,  which 
are  external  and  temporal  in  their  nature,  can  fit  or 
unfit  a  person  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  which  is  spiritual 
and  is  not  of  this  world.  A  poor  man  is  not  a  child  of 
God  and  an  heir  of  heaven  because  he  is  poor,  neither 
can  he  become  such  by  renouncing  all  worldly  posses- 
sions and  choosing  poverty;  a  rich  man  is  not  debarred 
from  the  hope  of  glory  because  he  is  rich,  neither  can  he 
purchase  a  place  in  the  mansions  of  our  Father's  house 
by  the  employment  of  all  his  wealth.  Adoption  into  the 
household  of  God  depends  on  other  conditions  than  those 
of  temporal  possessions. 

There  is  another  kind  of  poverty  than  that  of  lack 
of  money  and  earthly  goods.  It  is  internal  and  spiritual. 
A  man  may  feel  poor,  though  he  have  all  the  wealth  that 
earth  can  afford,  and  this  in  two  respects.  His  feeling 
may  be  of  the  delusive  sort  in  which  it  fails  to  corre- 
spond with  the  fact,  as  when  one  possessed  of  wealth 
thinks  himself  too  poor  to  spend  any  part  of  it  in  deeds 
of  charity  and  is  tormented  with  visions  of  coming  want. 
It  is  not  such  internal  poverty,  which  recognizes  no  gifts 
of  God  and  is  unthankful,  which  has  no  trust  in  God  and 
views  the  future  with  dread,  which  is  based  on  the  false 
imaginings  of  an  evil  heart,  that  our  Savior  contemplates 


26  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

when  He  pronounces  a  blessing  upon  the  poor  in  spirit 
But  there  is  another  kind  of  feeling  in  which  a  poverty 
is  experienced  which  arises  from  no  illusion  and  which 
accords  with  existing  reality  as  the  Scriptures  reveal  it 
and  the  human  heart  may  be  brought  to  realize  it.  It  is 
spiritual  poverty.  A  person  may  be  very  rich  and  yet 
have  the  consciousness,  not  only  of  having  nothing  that 
he  could  properly  call  his  own  and  being  entirely  de- 
pendent on  God  for  his  daily  bread,  but  of  being  in  total 
want  of  those  moral  and  spiritual  qualities  without 
which,  notwithstanding  all  his  wealth,  one  is  poor  in- 
deed. That  is  the  poverty  which  our  Lord  has  in  view, 
and  into  which  He  would  lead  His  hearers,  that  they 
might  inherit  His  blessing.  The  soul  by  nature  is  very 
poor  in  spiritual  things.  It  has  nothing  that  could  give 
it  standing  in  the  realm  of  the  spiritual,  that  could  sat- 
isfy its  spiritual  needs,  that  could  render  it  acceptable 
to  its  Maker.  And  it  can  do  nothing  to  acquire  such 
spiritual  treasure.  It  is  poor  and  helpless,  and  when 
one  has  come  to  realize  this  poverty  he  is  poor  in  spirit. 
That  is  a  condition  of  truthfulness  in  regard  to  one's 
own  soul  into  which  no  power  of  nature  can  lead  us,  and 
which  remains  the  same  whether  we  be  rich  or  poor  in 
this  world's  goods.  To  enter  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
become  heirs  of  its  blessings  something  more  is  needed 
than  that  which  this  world  can  give  or  the  natural  mind, 
which  is  of  this  world,  can  acquire  with  all  its  efforts. 
To  secure  these  heavenly  treasures  and  make  us  heirs  of 
our  Heavenly  Father's  wealth,  was  the  purpose  of 
Christ's  coming  into  this  world  of  sin.  "As  many  as  re- 
ceived Him,  to  them  gave  He  the  power  to  become  the 
sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  in  His  name." 
John  1,  12. 

The  poor  in  spirit  are  those  w|io,  whether  rich  or 
poor  in  temporal  things,  are  conscious  of  their  poverty 
in  regard  to  that  righteousness  and  true  holiness  with 


THE   BEATITUDES.  27 

which  man  was  endowed  when  God  created  him  in  His 
own  image  and  which  is  required  of  him  to  fulfill  his 
mission.  This  image  was  lost  by  the  fall,  when,  "by  one 
man  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin,  and  so 
death  passed  upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned." 
Rom.  5,  12.  In  consequence  of  this  "the  whole  world 
lieth  in  wickedness."  1  John  5,  19.  But  God  has  not 
changed,  and  still  requires  of  man  the  righteousness  in 
which  he  was  created.  "This  is  the  Avill  of  God,  even 
your  sanctification."  1  Thess.  4,  3.  Nothing  could  alter 
the  purpose  of  the  Creator  with  regard  to  His  creature, 
and  notwithstanding  the  coming  of  sin  into  the  world 
and  the  resulting  universal  depravity,  the  divine  demand 
remains  the  same  that  it  was  from  the  beginning.  "Ye 
shall  be  holy,  for  I  the  Lord  your  God  am  holy."  Lev. 
19,  2.  The  whole  human  race  is  thus  in  disharmony  with 
its  God  and  His  government  of  the  universe,  and  its  con- 
dition is  therefore  one  of  utter  wretchedness,  because  of 
its  failure  to  fulfill  its  destin^^  and  to  attain  the  end  of 
its  creation.  Not  all  realize  this  their  forlorn  condi- 
tion, and  few  understand  the  cause  and  nature  of  their 
misery  when  they  become  conscious  that  their  souls  are 
not  at  rest.  In  spite  of  all  the  evil  within  them  and 
around  them,  some  even  flatter  themselves  that  all  is 
well.  But  the  fact  remains  the  same,  that  man  lacks 
what  he  most  needs,  and  there  is  no  health  and  no| 
strength  in  him  to  supply  the  want.  "Because  thou  say-' 
est,  I  am  rich  and  increased  with  goods  and  have  need  of 
nothing,  and  knowest  not  that  thou  are  wretched  and 
miserable  and  poor  and  blind  and  naked,  I  counsel  thee  to 
buy  of  me  gold  tried  in  the  fire,  that  thou  mayest  be  rich, 
and  white  raiment,  that  thou  mayest  be  clothed  and  that 
the  shame  of  thy  nakedness  do  not  appear;  and  anoint 
thine  eyes  with  eye  salve,  that  thou  mayest  see."  Kev.  3, 
16-18.  The  same  "deceivableness  of  unrighteousness" 
leads  others  to  despair  of  any  deliverance  from  the  dark- 


28  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

ness  and  death  of  sin,  as  there  certainly  is  none  in  view  to 
the  natural  man,  and  many  a  poor  mortal  is  thus  driven 
to  madness  or  seeks  relief  in  suicide.  All  are  in  this  mis- 
erable state  of  poverty  and  helplessness,  whatever  may 
be  the  delusions  by  which  they  seek  to  cloak  it  or  escape 
its  misery:  "as  it  is  written,  there  is  none  righteous,  no, 
not  one;  there  is  none  that  understandeth,  there  is  none 
that  seeketh  after  God.  They  are  all  gone  out  of  the 
way,  they  are  together  become  unprofitable:  there  is 
none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one."  Rom.  3,  10-12.  "The 
Scripture  hath  concluded  all  under  sin,  that  the  promise 
by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  might  be  given  to  them  that  be- 
lieve."   Gal.  3,  22. 

To  save  from  the  sin  and  death  which  have  wrought 
such  ruin  in  the  world  was  the  purpose  of  Christ's  mis- 
sion. "For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.  For  God 
sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world, 
but  that  the  world  through  Him  might  be  saved."  John 
3,  16.  17.  To  this  end  all  His  teaching  and  preaching  as 
well  as  all  His  suffering  and  death  were  directed.  There- 
fore He  called  upon  all  who  were  willing  to  hear:  "Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest."  Matt.  11,  28.  In  Him  alone  is  help. 
There  is  no  other  name  given  under  heaven  by  which  a 
soul  could  be  saved.  "I  am  the  vine,"  He  tells  His  dis- 
ciples, "ye  are  the  branches:  he  that  abideth  in  me  and  I 
in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit;  for  without 
me  ye  can  do  nothing."  John  15,  5.  The  Eternal  Son 
of  God  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us  that  He 
might  be  the  mighty  Savior  of  our  lost  world.  "The 
Lord  hath  made  bare  His  holy  arm  in  the  eyes  of  all  the 
nations,  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the  sal- 
vation of  God."    Isa.  52,  10.     He  who  preached  this  ser- 


THE  BEATITUDES.  29 

mou  on  the  mount  lived  aud  labored  aud  suffered  and 
died  to  save  His  people  from  their  sins.  . 

And  the  poor  in  spirit  are  those  who  have  been/ 
brought  to  a  realization  of  the  situation,  and  who  feel  I 
their  need  of  a  Savior,  and  the  great  salvation  which  n« 
offers  in  His  kingdom.  They  are  conscious  of  their  spir- 
itual poverty.  They  are  poor  in  all  that  would  render 
them  eternally  hajipy.  They  can  do  nothing  to  retrieve 
the  loss  of  their  spiritual  wealth  and  are  powerless  to 
acquire  the  moral  riches  which  the  Lord  seeks  in  a  creat- 
ure so  highly  endowed,  but  so  deeply  fallen.  Directed  by 
the  light  which  has  shone  into  their  souls  they  recog- 
nize the  facts  as  they  are.  The  grace  of  God  has  hum-, 
l)led  tlK^'r  haughty  spirit  and  rendered  it  lowly.  Theyl 
are  penitent  souls  who  have  hearkened  to  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  the  entrance  of  which  giveth  light.  Man  thus 
comes  to  know  himself  as  the  miserable  sinner  that  he 
reall}'  is.  "If  we  say,  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive 
ourselves  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us;  if  we  confess  our 
sins,  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins  and  to 
cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness."  1  John  1,  8.  9. 
The  first  thing  necessary  for  deliverance  from  the  wretch- 
edness in  which  the  world  lies  is  to  recognize  the  sin 
which  has  brought  it  upon  us  and  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  who  came  to  rescue  us  from  it.  "The  Lord 
is  nigh  unto  them  that  are  of  a  broken  heart,  and  saveth 
such  as  be  of  a  contrite  spirit."  Ps.  34,  18.  Accord- 
ingly the  forerunner  of  Christ,  John  the  Baptist,  "came 
preaching  in  the  wilderness  of  Judea  and  saying,  "Re- 
pent ve;  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand."  Matt. 
3,  1,  2. 

2.     The   blessing   promised  to   those  who   are   thus 
poor  in  spirit  is  participation  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

This  term  is  apparently  used  in  a  variety  of  significa- 
tions, which  has  given  rise  to  the  fancy  that  it  has  no 


30  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

fixed  and  definite  meaning.  But  the  same  thing  is 
viewed  in  different  circumstances  and  relations,  and  the 
fundamental  meaning  of  the  term  designating  it,  remains 
the  same,  notwithstanding  the  modification  which  it  un- 
dergoes in  its  application  to  various  conditions.  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  always  the  domain  of  grace  in 
which  our  Savior  reigns  and  dispenses  the  blessings 
which  He  has  secured  for  men  by  His  life  and  death  on 
earth.  We  speak  of  it  as  coming  when  Christ  comes  with 
His  Word,  by  which  He  exercises  His  dominion;  we 
speak  of  it  as  present  now,  when  Christ  has  gathered 
disciples  around  Him  who  believe  in  Him  as  their  Sa- 
vior; we  speak  of  it  as  future  when  we  look  to  the  con- 
summation of  His  gracious  purpose  in  the  glories  of 
heaven.  His  kingdom  is  the  Church  on  earth,  the  con- 
gregation of  believers  in  which  He  reigns  with  absolute 
supremacy  over  such  a  people  whom  by  His  grace  He  has 
made  His  willing  and  loving  subjects;  and  it  is  the  same 
Church  when  it  is  rendered  triumphant  over  sin  and 
death  and  has  entered  into  the  everlasting  inheritance 
of  the  saints  in  light,  and  when  the  redeemed  shall  be- 
hold Him  in  His  glory  and  adore  Him  forevermore. 

The  Son  of  God,  who  became  man  that  He  might  be 
our  Savior  by  His  vicarious  obedience  unto  death,  is 
Lord  of  all  —  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  "God 
over  all,  blessed  forever."  He  rules  over  all  creatures, 
and  unbelievers  as  well  as  those  who  receive  Him  by 
faith  and  are  made  children  of  God  and  heirs  of  heaven, 
are  subject  to  His  authority  and  His  power.  Those  who 
will  not  own  Him  as  their  merciful  Eedeemer  must  in 
the  end  own  Him  as  their  righteous  Judge.  To  Him  all 
powder  is  given  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  In  the  most  com- 
prehensive sense  Christ  is  King  over  all,  and  therefore 
the  Church  speaks  of  His  kingdom  of  power  as  well 
as  of  grace  and  of  glory,  and  thus  of  a  threefold 
kingdom  of  our  Lord.     There  is  a  propriety  in  this  be- 


THE   BEATITUDES.  31 

cause  He  is  Lord  over  all,  and  Christians  are  glad  to 
honor  Him  as  the  Lord  of  all.  But  usually,  when  we 
speak  of  His  kingdom  we  think  of  the  great  salvation 
which  He  has  effected  for  all  people  and  of  the  miracles 
of  His  grace  by  which  a  company  has  been  gathered  who 
accept  the  salvation  offered  by  His  Gospel,  and  who 
thus  form  a  congregation  of  saints  that  recognize  Him 
as  their  glorious  King  and  willingly  submit  themselves 
to  His  gracious  guidance.  It  is  in  this  sense  also  that  the 
words  are  to  be  understood  in  the  text  under  considera- 
tion. 

The  poor  in  spirit  are  not  only  under  the  dominion', 
of  God,  as  all  other  creatures  are,  but  theirs  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven.  In  this  are  dispensed  all  the  blessings 
of  salvation  which  the  King  of  Saints  has  acquired  and 
imparts  to  them  that  believe  and  live  under  Him.  They 
are  the  elect  in  Christ  Jcsiis;,  "who  of  God  is  made  unto 
us  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  sanctlfication,  and  re- 
demption," 1  Cor.  1,  30.  Of  such  it  is  written,  "Ye  are  a 
chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a 
peculiar  people,  that  ye  should  show  forth  the  praises 
of  Him  who  hath  called  you  out  of  darkness  into  His 
marvelous  light;  which  in  time  past  were  not  a  people, 
but  are  now  the  people  of  God,  which  had  not  obtained 
mercy,  but  now  have  obtained  mercy,"  1  Pet.  2,  9, 10.  This 
holy  nation  is  the  purchase  of  Christ's  blood,  made  His 
own  peculiar  people  by  the  faith  which  His  Spirit  has 
wrought  in  their  hearts,  and  who  are  cheerfully  subject 
to  Him  in  the  kingdom  of  His  grace.  Of  Him  God  said 
in  the  olden  time:  "I  have  set  my  King  upon  my  holy 
hill  of  Zion.  I  will  declare  the  decree:  The  Lord  hath 
said  unto  me,  Thou  art  my  Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten 
Thee.  Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give  Thee  the  heathen  for' 
Thine  inheritance  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth 
for  thy  possession."  Ps.  2,  6-8.  This  is  He  who  was  in- 
dicated when  the  prophet  said :    "Tell  ye  the  daughter  of 


32  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Zion,  Behold  thy  King  cometh,"  Matt.  21,  5.  This  is 
He  of  whom  the  angel  spake  in  the  annunciation  to  Mary : 
"Behold,  thou  shalt  conceive  and  bring  forth  a  son,  and 
thou  shalt  call  His  name  Jesus.  He  shall  be  great  and 
shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the  Highest;  and  the  Lord  God 
shall  give  unto  Him  the  throne  of  His  father  David;  and 
He  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever,  and  of 
His  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end,"  Luke  1,  31-33.  There- 
fore our  Lord  testified,  when  Pilate  asked  Him  whether 
He  is  the  King  of  the  Jews:  "My  kingdom  is  not  of  this 
world ;  if  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then  would  my 
servants  fight,  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews ; 
but  now  is  my  kingdom  not  from  hence.  Pilate  there- 
fore said  unto  Him,  Art  Thou  a  King  then?  Jesus  an- 
swered. Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  King.  To  this  end  was 
I  born  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I 
should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth.  Every  one  that  is 
of  the  truth  heareth  my  voice,"  John  18,  36,  37.  This 
kingdom  of  truth  and  grace  our  Savior  established  by 
His  Word  and  work,  and  all  who  hear  His  voice  declar- 
ing pardon  and  peace,  and  who  in  their  spiritual  poverty 
flee  for  refuge  to  Him,  are  members  of  His  kingdom  and 
rejoice  in  His  gracious  presence  and  heavenly  gifts.  It 
is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  in  which  He  reigns  over  His 
redeemed  and  regenerated  people  here  on  earth  and  in 
heaven  forever.  Therefore  Christians  daily  pray,  "Thy 
kingdom  come,"  and  the  petition  is  granted  "when  our 
Heavenly  Father  gives  us  His  Holy  Spirit,  so  that  by 
His  grace  we  believe  His  holy  Word  and  lead  a  godly  life 
here  in  time  and  hereafter  in  eternity." 

The  poor  in  spirit  are  blessed  in  their  possession  of 
that  kingdom.  For  the  realization  of  the  promise  the 
distinction  between  that  kingdom  in  time  and  in  eternity 
is  of  no  essential  moment.  It  exists  now,  and  it  shall 
exist  forever ;  it  is  ours  now,  and  it  shall  be  ours  forever. 
The  King  shall  visibly  come  again  and  shall  then,  when 


THE   BEATITUDES.  33 

all  the  earth  shall  be  summoned  to  the  final  judgment, 
manifest  His  royalty  and  the  glory  of  His  kingdom  as 
it  would  not  appear  under  the  depressing  conditions  of 
the  world  lying  in  its  wickedness.  But  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  present  on  earth  and  its  promised  blessings  are 
enjoyed  now  by  all  who  believe.  "The  law  and  the  proph-  ^ 
ets  were  until  John;  since  that  time  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  preached,  and  every  man  presseth  into  it,"  Luke 
16,  16.  But  as  it  is  an  everlasting  kingdom  and  the  ful- 
ness of  its  blessedness  is  experienced  only  in  eternity,  it 
is  often  spoken  of  as  future.  On  the  judgment  day  "the 
King  shall  say  unto  them  on  His  right  hand.  Come,  ye 
blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for 
you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,"  Matt.  25,  34.  The 
distinction  in  regard  to  time  marks  an  obvious  difference 
in  the  Christian's  fruition  of  the  blessedness  of  Christ's 
kingdom,  without  involving  any  difference  in  its  nature. 
The  same  kingdom  that  shall  be  ours  forever  is  ours  now. 
So  eternal  life  is  ours  by  faith  here  on  earth.  "He  that 
believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life,"  John  3,  36. 
But  that  everlasting  life  embraces  much  that  is  not  com- 
pletely realized  during  our  pilgrimage  as  strangers  in  a 
strange  land,  and  is  therefore  a  promise  for  the  future 
and  an  object  of  Christian  hope.  In  the  final  decision 
the  ungodly  "shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment, 
but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal,"  Matt.  25,  46.  The 
believer  is  in  the  kingdom  of  God  now,  is  guided  and 
comforted  by  the  enduring  presence  of  the  groat  King 
during  his  sojourn  on  earth,  and  rejoices  in  the  hope  of 
glory.  "If  ye  then  be  risen  with  Christ,  seek  those  things 
which  are  above,  where  Clirist  sitteth  on  the  right  hand 
of  God.  Set  your  affections  on  things  above,  not  on 
things  on  the  earth.  For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is 
hid  with  Christ  in  God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our  life, 
shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear  with  Him  in 
glory,"  Col.  3,  1-4.     The  kingdom  is  yours  forever. 

3 


34  THE    SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

II.  "Blessed  are  tliey  that  moiiru,  for  they  sliall  be 
comforted."  There  is  mourning  on  earth  still,  notwith- 
standing the  establishment  of  Christ's  kingdom,  but  en- 
trance into  this  implies  all  the  conditions  of  comfort.  The 
key  to  this  second  beatitude  is  contained  in  the  Saviour's 
words :  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest,"  Matt.  11,  28. 

1.  There  are  many  causes  of  mourning  in  this 
earthly  life.  "Although  affliction  cometh  not  forth  of  the 
dust,  neither  doth  trouble  spring  out  of  the  ground,  yet 
man  is  born  unto  trouble  as  the  sparks  fly  upward,"  Job 
5,  6-7.  If  the  believer  entered  at  once  into  the  full  en- 
joyment of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  in  all  its  blessedness 
when  he  comes  to  Christ,  His  disciples  would  be  exempt 
from  the  sorrows  and  sufferings  which  are  the  common 
lot  in  this  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  But  the  separa- 
tion into  a  company  of  the  blest  in  the  realms  of  light 
and  the  host  of  the  wretched  in  the  outer  darkness  of 
hell,  takes  place  only  when  the  purpose  of  God  in  regard 
to  this  world  is  accomplished  and  the  final  destiny  has 
been  reached  in  the  last  judgment.  Until  then  the  pen- 
itent sinners  who  have  become  saints  in  Christ  and  the 
impenitent  sinners  who  reject  the  Saviour  and  continue 
in  their  sin,  live  together  in  this  world  that  lieth  in  wick- 
edness, and  suffer  together  the  disorder  and  distress 
which  sin  inflicts  upon  the  individual  and  the  commu- 
nity. The  wages  of  sin  is  death,  and  all  the  pains  and 
penalties  which  lead  to  death  are  its  natural  consequence, 
from  which  nature  knows  no  way  of  escape. 

In  all  the  ages  man's  mind  has  wrestled  with  the 
dark  problem  of  evil  and  has  found  no  abiding  comfort, 
frequently  as  dreamers  have  flattered  themselves  that  they 
have  found  the  remedy  for  all  human  ills.  But  sickness 
and  suffering,  misfortunes  and  failures,  calamities  and 
disasters  continued  to  come  as  before,  and  many  a  re- 
puted wise  man  has  concluded  that  there  is  no  consolation 


THE   BEATITUDES.  35 

except  that  death  ends  all.  But  that,  too,  fails  to  satisfy ; 
for  w  hile  death  does  eud  the  misery  of  the  present  state, 
it  furnishes  no  assurance  that  the  present  state  is  the  end 
of  all,  and  that  the  soul  will  not  continue  to  think  and 
feel  and  suffer  after  death  has  effected  the  rupture  be- 
tween it  and  the  body  in  which  it  dwells.  On  the  con- 
trary, deiith  is  the  outcome  of  all  the  disorder  and  dis- 
inte<);ration  which  sin  has  brought.  "The  sting  of  death 
is  sin,"  1  Cor.  16,  56.  And  while  men  talk  glibly  of  es- 
caping the  miseries  of  life  by  rushing  into  the  arms  of 
death,  in  the  secret  recesses  of  men's  souls  the  tormenting 
question  arises,  What  then?  Sin  brings  trouble,  and  the 
troubled  soul  has  no  resources  within  itself  from  which 
it  could  derive  rest  by  reflecting  on  the  vicissitudes  of 
life  and  the  prosjject  of  death. 

It  is  not  the  plan  of  God  to  effect  a  restoration  of 
Paradise  with  its  beauty  and  its  bliss  in  the  present 
w^orld,  and  Christians  are  not  taught  to  look  for  a  life 
of  exemption  from  pain  and  sorrow  while  they  sojourn 
here.  They  too  are  subject  to  sickness  and  death,  and 
to  the  calamities  with  which  nature,  under  the  disturbing 
influence  of  sin  and  death,  threaten  us,  and  to  the  moral 
disorders  and  miseries  which  sin  has  introduced  into  our 
social  life.  Their  happy  goal  is  reached  only  w'hen  their 
trials  are  ended  with  their  earthly  life  and  they,  having 
been  faithful  unto  death,  enter  into  the  joys  of  their 
Lord.  "Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,"  the  Savior  tells 
His  disciples;  "ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  me.  In 
my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions;  if  it  were  not  so 
I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you. 
And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again 
and  receive  you  unto  myself,  that  where  I  am  there  ye 
may  be  also,"  John  14,  1-3. 

While  all  are  subject  to  the  evils  w^hich  sin  has 
brought  into  the  world,  it  is  thus  manifest  that,  in  their 
relation  to  those  evils  and  their  consequences,  there  is  a 


36  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

great  differences  between  those  who  are  in  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  those  who  are  yet  under  Satan's  power  in  the 
kingdom  of  darkness.  The  ways  of  sin  lead  to  suffering, 
the  ways  of  holiness  lead  to  happiness.  But  this  is  far 
from  setting  the  whole  subject  of  man's  relation  to  the 
evils,  physical  and  moral,  which  darken  his  faith  and 
burden  his  heart,  in  a  clear  light,  and  is  by  no  means  an 
adequate  elucidation  of  the  difference  in  this  respect 
between  the  Christian  and  the  unbeliever.  Many  suffer 
pain  and  distress  as  the  natural  consequence  of  their  sin; 
but  it  would  be  a  violation  of  the  truth  declared  in  Scrip- 
ture, and  a  denial  of  the  facts  of  experience,  to  maintain 
that  each  man's  pain  and  distress  is  the  result  of  his  own 
individual  transgressions.  When  one  indulges  in  the  lusts 
of  the  flesh  until  he  has  wrecked  his  mind  and  body,  he 
evidently  suffers  the  consequence  of  his  own  sins;  but 
when  another  is  bruised  by  a  ruflfian  or  defrauded  of  his 
property,  it  is  another's  sin,  not  his  own,  that  has  caused 
the  suffering.  They  were  miserable  comforters  who  im- 
puted to  Job  the  authorship  of  all  his  troubles,  and  urged 
him  to  adore  the  justice  of  God  in  rewarding  him  accord- 
ing to  his  wicked  works.  The  argument  is  always  false 
that  a  person's  moral  quality  may  be  measured  by  the 
suffering  which  he  endures.  We  do  injustice  to  ourselves 
and  violate  charity  to  others  when  we  apply  such  a  test. 
All  evil,  physical  as  well  as  moral,  is  a  result  of  sin, 
which  works  out  its  wages  of  death  through  manifold 
aches  and  pains  and  disasters.  But  it  is  not  true  that 
each  individual  in  this  life  bears  the  share  proportioned 
to  his  sins.  This  God  has  reserved  for  the  day  of  final 
reckoning,  when  all  accounts  are  settled  forever  by  His 
righteous  judgment.  Meantime  He  employs  all  things, 
including  men  and  their  deeds,  by  His  providence  to  work 
out  His  eternal  plan,  and  accordingly  makes  all  things, 
including  the  evils  which  sin  has  brought  into  the  world, 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  Him. 


TITK   BEATITUDES.  87 

It  thus  comes  to  pass  that  the  wicked,  whom  the  good- 
ness of  God  would  lead  to  repentance,  seem  to  prosper  in 
this  world,  while  the  children  of  God,  whom  He  chastens 
as  a  loving  Father  for  their  everlasting  good,  are  weighed 
down  with  adversity.  To  man's  limited  vision  the  Lord's 
ways  thus  often  appear  unequal,  although  they  are  always 
wise  and  good.  "Fret  not  thyself  because  of  evil-doers, 
neither  be  thou  envious  against  the  workers  of  iniquity; 
for  they  shall  soon  be  cut  down  like  grass  and  wither  as 
the  green  herb."  Ps.  57,  1-2,  "Truly  God  is  good  to 
Israel,  even  to  such  as  are  of  a  clean  heart.  But  as  for 
me,  my  feet  were  almost  gone,  my  steps  had  well-nigh 
slipped.  For  I  was  envious  at  the  foolish  when  I  saw  the 
prosperity  of  the  wicked."  "Behold  these  are  the  ungodly, 
who  prosper  in  the  world;  they  increase  in  riches."  Ps. 
73,  1-3.  The  psalmist  then  refers  to  his  own  troubles  as 
compared  with  the  ungodly,  whose  eyes  stand  out  with 
fatness,  and  proceeds:  "When  I  thought  to  know  this  it 
was  too  painful  for  me,  until  I  went  into  the  sanctuary  of 
God :  then  understood  I  their  end.  Surely  Thou  didst  set 
them  in  slippery  places;  Thou  castest  them  down  into 
destruction."  Ps.  73,  16-18.  God  has  not  revealed  to  us 
the  secrets  of  His  government  and  furnished  us  with  the 
details  by  which  His  providence  is  working  out  His  wise 
and  beneficent  plans,  and  we  gravely  err  when  we  think 
that  we  know  it  all  and  form  our  judgments  from  appear- 
ances, without  being  able  to  see  the  bearing  of  all  upon 
the  final  outcome  in  eternity.  Here,  as  in  all  the  dealings 
of  God  in  which  it  is  not  His  pleasure  to  make  His  coun- 
sels known,  we  can  only  reverently  exclaim:  "Oh  the 
depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge 
of  God!  How  unsearchable  are  His  judgments  and  His 
ways  past  finding  out!"  Rom.  11,  33. 

2.  They  that  mourn  are  blessed,  for  they  shall  be 
comforted.  The  comfort  is  that  which  the  Savior  prom- 
ises and  bestows,  and  must  therefore  apply  to  a  mourning 


38  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

that  stands  in  connection  with  His  will  and  the  purpose  of 
His  coming.  We  get  at  the  root  of  the  promised  blessing 
only  when  we  see  it  in  its  connection  with  sin  and  salva- 
tion. 

We  have  no  warrant  in  the  Word  of  God  for  apply- 
ing the  promise  of  comfort  to  those  who  are  grieving  over 
the  natural  consequences  of  their  own  transgressions,  de- 
siring to  be  relieved  of  the  suffering  without  abandoning 
its  cause.  Many  are  not  only  tortured  with  bodily  pains 
as  a  result  of  their  sinful  indulgences,  but  even  fail  to 
perceive  that  their  suffering  has  any  connection  with  sin 
and  are  not  conscious  of  their  guilt ;  and  many,  when  they 
eannot  close  their  eyes  to  the  obvious  fact  that  their  mis- 
ery is  the  effect  of  deeds  which  the  law  of  God  has  for- 
bidden, mourn  because  of  the  suffering,  not  because  of  the 
sin.  The  consolations  of  the  Gospel  are  not  available  in 
such  conditions;  for  in  these  the  mourning  soul  is  more 
likely  to  curse  God  and  die  than  to  accept  a  divine  bless- 
ing conveyed  through  tribulation.  Nor  can  suffering  as 
such,  though  it  come  without  any  direct  fault  of  the  suffer- 
er, nor  the  mourning  which  it  causes,  be  inherently  a 
power  to  work  blessing.  The  loss  of  temporal  goods,  the 
ravages  of  disease,  and  notably  the  death  of  relatives  and 
dear  friends  are  fruitful  sources  of  mourning,  and  to  the 
humble  disciple  of  Christ  may  be  potent  ministers  of 
blessing ;  but  experience  shows  how  frequently  they  merely 
furnish  occasions  for  murmuring  and  complaining  against 
divine  Providence,  if  thoughts  of  God  are  admitted  at  all ; 
and  how  often  mourning,  in  souls  that  decline  to  recognize 
its  ministry  in  God's  government  of  the  world,  is  an  occa- 
sion for  multiplying  evils  instead  of  deriving  blessings 
through  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  primary  con- 
dition of  inheriting  the  blessing  which  Christ  pronounces 
upon  those  who  mourn  is  to  mourn  for  sin  and  flee  to  Him 
for  refuge  from  its  misery.  Then  there  is  consolation  for 
every  ill   that  mav  befall  us  in  our  pilgrimage  to  the 


THE   BEATITUDES.  39 

Heavenly"  Cit}^  where  ills  are  known  no  more.  "Godliness 
is  profitable  unto  all  things,  liavin*'-  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is  and  of  that  wliich  is  to  come."     1  Tim.  4,  8. 

The  monrners  whom  our  Lord  has  in  view  are  mani- 
festly those  who  mourn  after  a  j^odly  sort.  They  are  the 
hearers  of  God's  Word  who  feel  the  burden  of  their  sin 
and  seek  deliverance  from  its  condemnation  in  the  Savior, 
who  invites  them  to  come  to  Him  that  they  may  find  rest 
unto  their  souls.  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon 
me,"  says  the  prophet,  "because  the  Lord  hath  appointed 
me  to  preach  liood  tidings  unto  the  meek;  He  hath  sent 
me  to  bind  up  the  broken  hearted,  to  proclaim  liberty  to 
the  captives  and  the  opening-  of  the  prison  to  them  that 
are  bound;  to  proclaim  the  acceptable  ,year  of  the  Lord 
and  the  day  of  vengeance  of- our  God;  to  comfort  all  that 
mourn ;  to  appoint  unto  them  that  mourn  in  Zion,  to  give 
unto  them  beauty  for  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning, 
the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness,  that  they 
miglit  be  called  trees  of  righteousness,  the  planting  of  the 
Lord,  that  He  might  be  glorified."  Isa.  61,  1-3.  That  is 
the  kind  of  mourning  contemplated  in  this  beatitude,  to 
which  the  promise  of  comfort  was  given  in  the  olden  times. 
That  promise  was  fulfilled  in  the  King  of  Zion  who  has 
come  to  redeem  His  people.  St.  Paul  explains  the  nature 
of  this  mourning  when  he  tells  us  that  "godly  sorrow 
worketh  repentance  to  salvation  not  to  be  repented  of,  but 
the  sorrow  of  the  world  worketh  death."     2  Cor.  7,  10. 

Those  who  thus  mourn  shall  be  comforted.  There  is  ' 
a  balm  for  every  wound,  but  it  is  found  only  in  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  where  the  great  Physician  reigns  and  ex- 
erts His  healing  po\\er,  and  which  only  they  can  enter 
who  repent  and  believe  the  Gospel.  All  the  ills  of  life,  ' 
which  fill  the  earth  with  incessant  mourning,  are  the 
result  of  sin,  which  has  brought  disorder  and  death  into 
the  world;  and  from  this  sin  and  its  fatal  consequence 
the  Son  of  God  came  to  save  us.     But  the  salvation  is 


40  THE   SERMON   ON    THK    MOUNT. 

oni3'  in  Him,  and  the  comfort  wJiieli  He  promises  is  the 
comfort  wliicli  He  provides  and  He  alone  can  give.  The 
woe  and  wailing  did  not  cease  on  earth  when  the  Savior 
came,  and  has  not  ceased  since  the  proclamation  of  salva- 
tion is  made  in  all  the  earth ;  for  the  greatest  portion  of 
our  raci  still  sit  in  darkness  and  in  sin,  and  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  into  which  the  saved  have  been  gathered,  has 
not  yet  passed  into  that  glory  which  shall  be  revealed 
when  its  earthly  mission  shall  be  completed.  The 
full  realization  of  its  blessedness  still  lies  in  the  future 
and  is  the  object  of  the  Christian's  hope.  But  the  peni- 
tent believer  lays  hold  of  the  promise,  and  has  the  patience 
of  liope  while  he  pursues  his  journey  in  the  company  of 
his  gracious  and  miglity  Lord  through  tribulations  into 
the  happy  land  that  lies  beyond  tlie  wilderness  of  this 
world.  He  has  the  great  comfort  of  salvation  in  Christ, 
and  in  this  he  is  comforted  in  all  the  suffering  that  he 
must  endure  by  the  way  which  leads  to  its  complete  frui- 
tion. "Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,  saith  your  God. 
Speak  ye  comfortably  to  Jerusalem,  and  cry  unto  hev  that 
her  warfare  is  accomplished,  that  her  iniquity  is  par- 
doned." Isa.  40,  1-2.  With  this  comfort  in  our  hearts 
we  cajQ  rejoice  in  the  Lord  notwithstanding  the  pain  tlmt 
may  still  be  our  portion  before  our  goal  is  reached.  ''For 
which  cause  we  faint  not;  but  though  our  outward  man 
perish,  yet  the  inward  man  is  renewed  day  by  day. 
For  our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment,  vrork- 
eth  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory,  while  we  look  not  at  the  things  which  are  seen,  but 
at  the  things  which  are  not  seen;  for  the  things  which  are 
seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things  which  are  not  seen  are 
eternal."  2  Cor.  4,  16-18.  "Blessed  be  God,  even  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  mercies 
and  the  God  of  all  comfort,  who  comforteth  us  in  all  our 
tribulation,  that  we  may  be  able  to  comfort  them  which 


THE  BEATITUDES.  41 

are  in  any  trouble  by  the  comfort  wherewith  we  ourselves 
are  comforted  of  God."     2  Cor.  1,  3-4. 

III.  "Blessed  are  the  meek,  for  they  shall  inherit 
the  earth."  The  promise  is  to  the  penitent  souls  that  they 
shall  overcome  the  world  and  all  shall  be  theirs. 

1.  The  word  meek  signifies  lowly  and  humble,  the 
opposite  of  self-conceited  and  haughty.  When  one  thinks 
modestly  of  himself,  suffers  wrongs  without  resentment, 
and  claims  no  merit  and  no  honors  for  himself,  we  call 
him  meek.  He  is  gentle  and  forbearing,  and  thus  forms 
a  striking  contrast  to  the  proud  and  self-asserting  person 
who  is  insulted  at  any  suggestion  of  faults  and  feels  hurt 
when  others  are  honored  above  him.  The  character  is 
illustrated  in  the  publican  who,  when  he  went  up  into 
the  temple  to  pray,  "standing  afar  off,  w'ould  not  so 
much  as  lift  up  his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smote  upon  his 
breast  saying,  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner;"  while 
the  proud  Pharisee,  who  illustrates  the  opposite  qual- 
ity, "stood  and  prayed  thus  with  himself,  God,  I  thank 
Thee  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,  extortioners,  unjust, 
adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican."  Luke  18,  9-14.  To 
obtain  the  blessings  of  Christ's  kingdom  the  Pharisaic 
self-conceit  and  pride  of  fancied  virtues  and  achieve- 
ments must  be  abandoned,  and  the  sinner  must  be  led  to 
recognize  his  poverty  and  nakedness  and  helplessness. 
The  poor  in  spirit  and  they  that  mourn  their  sin  are 
blessed,  not  the  self-conceited  and  the  self-complacent. 
Our  Lord  in  another  place  says:  "Take  my  yoke  upon 
you  and  learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart; 
and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls."  Matt.  11,  29. 
And  St.  Paul  teaches  the  same  lesson  when  He  says: 
"Let  nothing  be  done  through  strife  or  vain-glory,  but  in 
lowliness  of  mind  let  each  esteem  other  better  than  them- 
selves. Look  not  every  man  on  his  own  things,  but 
every  man  also  on  the  things  of  others.     Let  this  mind 


42  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

be  in  you  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus;  who,  being  in 
the  form  of  God,  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with 
God,  but  made  Himself  of  no  reputation  and  took  upon 
Him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  w^as  made  in  the  likeness 
of  men,  and  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man  He  humbled 
Himself  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death 
of  the  cross."  Phil.  2,  3-8.  The  hope  of  humanity  is  in 
that  cross  through  M^liich  Christ  redeemed  us,  that  as 
His  redeemed  people  we  might  humbly  follow  in  His 
footsteps  and  by  faith  live  under  Him  forever  in  His 
kingdom. 

The  natural  heart  is  not  meek  and  lowly,  and  there- 
fore is  not  in  accord  with  the  heavenly  call  to  repentance 
and  faith  in  him  who  died  for  us.  Only  the  grace  of 
Him  who  calls  us  and  with  the  call  furnishes  the  power 
to  heed  and  obey  it,  can  qualify  us  to  receive  His  bles- 
sing. "Wherefore  lay  apart  all  filthiness  and  superfluity 
of  naughtiness,  and  receive  with  meekness  the  engrafted 
Word,  which  is  able  to  save  your  souls."  James  1,  21. 
The  proud  heart,  which  always  thinks  of  itself  more 
highly  than  it  ought  to  think,  must  be  humbled  before  it 
can  realize  the  blessedness  of  the  Savior's  promise. 
Hence  the  apostle  writes:  "I  beseech  you  therefore, 
brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that  ye  present  your 
bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God, 
which  is  your  reasonable  service.  And  be  not  conformed 
to  this  world;  but  be  ye  transformed  by  the  renewing  of 
your  mind,  that  ye  may  prove  what  is  that  good  and  ac- 
ceptable and  perfect  will  of  God."  Rom.  12,  1.  2.  To 
inherit  the  blessings  of  Christ  man  must  renounce  his 
natural  pride  and  fond  conceit  of  himself.  The  grace  of 
God,  which  confers  all  blessings  upon  men,  first  renders 
the  soul  meek,  then  multiplies  blessings  upon  those  who 
receive  with  meekness  the  engrafted  Word.  Under  the 
power  of  that  Word  we  become  nothing  in  our  own  eyes, 
that  we  may  become  something  to  the  praise  of  Him  who 


THE  BEATITUDES.  43 

hath  given  us  a  lively  hope  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ  from  the  dead.  "To  this  man  will  I  look,"  saith 
the  Lord,  "even  to  him  that  is  poor  and  of  a  contrite 
spirit  and  trenibleth  at  my  Word."  Isa.  66,  2.  Not  those 
who  flatter  themselves  that  all  is  well  with  them  and 
that  they  have  no  need  of  a  Savior,  are  the  blessed,  but 
those  who  hearken  to  the  heavenly  call  which  offers 
help  in  Christ  to  the  distressed.  "For  yet  a  little  while 
and  the  wicked  shall  not  be;  but  the  meek  shall  inherit 
the  earth  and  delinht  themselves  in  the  abundance  of 
peace."    Ps.  37,  10.11. 

2.  The  promise  made  to  the  meek  is  tliat  they  shall 
inherit  the  earth  and  be  blessed  in  such  inheritance. 
The  promise  to  the  poor  in  spirit  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven;  the  promise  to  those  that  mourn  is  the  conso- 
lation of  Israel  founded  on  the  coming  of  that  kingdom: 
is  the  blessing  of  this  third  beatitude  something  dif-  I 
ferent?  \ 

At  a  mere  cursory  glance  the  words  would  seem  to  \ 
indicate  that  it  is  some  temporal  good,  some  treasure 
that  belongs  to  this  world,  that  is  in  store  for  the  meek. 
That  would  not  be  wholly  false,  inasmuch  as  we  know 
that  godliness  has  the  promise  of  this  life  and  the  life  to 
come.  But  the  interpretation  would  unquestionably  be 
false  which  made  earthly  goods  the  only  thing  promised, 
or  even  the  main  thing.  "This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus  came  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners."  1  Tim.  1,  15.  "For  God  sent 
not  His  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world,  but 
that  the  world  through  Him  might  be  saved."  John  3, 
17.  The  provision  made  in  Christ  was  for  man's  salva- 
tion from  sin  and  death,  and  does  not  contemplate  as  an 
end  the  bestowal  of  temporal  blessings  on  some  and  of 
eternal  blessings  on  others.  Its  purpose  is  the  eternal 
salvation  of  all.  "The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."    Rom.  6,  23.     Earthly  gifts  are 


44  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

bestowed  by  the  same  infinite  love  which  moved  God  to 
send  His  Son  into  the  world  to  save  that  which  was  lost; 
but  their  value  lies  in  their  relation  to  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  is  rightly  estimated  only  when  they  are  viewed 
as  tributary  to  its  eternal  purpose.  Otherwise  all  earthly 
possessions  are  fleeting  shadows,  and  all  hopes  of  finding 
in  them  the  happiness  which  the  soul  craves  are  vanity. 
"Labor  not  to  be  rich;  cease  from  thine  own  wisdom. 
Wilt  thou  set  thine  eyes  on  that  which  is  not?  for 
riches  certainly  make  themselves  wings;  they  fly  away, 
as  an  eagle  toward  heaven."  Prov.  23,  4.  5.  Earthly 
goods  have  their  place  in  the  economy  of  divine  good- 
ness and  mercy  as  minor  manifestations  of  the  same  love 
which  is  magnified  iu  the  mission  of  the  Savior  and  the 
application  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  His  merits  to  men  for 
their  salvation  through  faith.  In  Christ  we  have  all; 
without  Him  we  have  nothing,  though  for  a  little  while 
we  have  all  the  reputed  riches  and  glory  of  the  world. 
"All  things  are  yours,  whether  Paul  or  Apollos  or 
Cephas,  or  the  world,  or  life  or  death,  or  things  present 
or  things  to  come,  all  are  yours;  and  ye  are  Christ's 
and  Christ  is  God's."  1  Cor.  3,  21-23.  Christians  are 
the  people  who  are  truly  rich,  though  they  may  be  among 
those  whom  the  world  calls  poor.  Our  Father  in  heaven 
is  absolute  owner  of  all  that  exists,  and  believers  in 
Christ  are  the  heirs  of  all  His  immense  wealth.  "The 
Spirit  Himself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit  that  we 
are  the  children  of  God;  and  if  children,  then  heirs  — 
heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ."  Rom.  8,  16.  17. 
These  children  can  well  be  content  that  their  Heavenly 
Father  administers  these  treasures  for  their  benefit  ac- 
cording to  His  infinite  wisdom  and  love,  though  they 
pursue  their  pilgrimage  to  their  heavenly  hx)me  "as  hav- 
ing nothing,  and  yet  possessing  all  things."  Of  these 
temporal  goods  God  gives  us  for  our  present  use  what 
we  need  on  our  journey.     Our  daily  bread  is  secured  to 


THE  BEATITUDES.  45 

US  by  His  promise;  how  much  of  our  inheritance  it  is 
well  to  commit  to  our  hands  in  this  life  for  administra- 
tion in  our  stewardship,  He  knows  best,  and  His  chil- 
dren are  happy  that  He  wisely  disposes  all  according  to 
His  good  and  gracious  will.  "Godliness  with  content- 
ment is  great  gain."     1  Tim.  6,  tJ. 

It  often  looks,  as  man  views  it  with  his  limited  / 
vision,  as  if  the  ungodly  fared  better  in  this  world  than  / 
those  who,  according  to  the  divine  promise,  inherit  the 
earth  while  they  are  heirs  of  heaven.  Riches  and  honors 
and  pleasures  are  the  portion  of  many  who  live  without 
God  and  without  hope  in  the  world,  and  many  a  Chris- 
tian stumbles  at  what  seems  glaringly  inconsistent  with 
our  Lord's  promise  to  the  meek.  But  the  word  of  prom-  i 
ise  is  sure,  and  Christians  who  are  thus  offended  give  way 
to  the  weakness  of  the  flesh  instead  of  being  strong  in 
the  Lord.  "For  evil  doers  shall  be  cut  off;  but  those 
that  wait  upon  the  Lord,  they  shall  inherit  the  earth." 
Ps.  37,  9.  The  Lord  does  not  say  that  the  wicked  shall 
have  no  earthly  goods.  He  deals  bountifully  even  with 
those  who  reject  Him,  and  gives  rain  and  sunshine  and 
harvest  to  them  also.  Knowing  no  other,  they  seek 
temporal  treasures,  and  they  do  not  always  fail  to  find 
them.  Sometimes  their  success,  as  the  world  counts  suc- 
cess, is  wonderful.  God  knows  best  how  to  bestow  His 
gifts  for  the  accomplishment  of  His  purpose,  which  is 
always  wise  and  good.  But  taking  the  entire  life,  with 
its  little  term  of  time  and  its  endless  reacli  of  eternity, 
into  account,  the  projects  of  the  ungodly  are  always 
failures.  Greed  of  gain  is  sometimes  gratified,  but  the 
pearl  is  lost  in  the  dirt  that  is  gathered,  while  in  the 
gracious  providence  of  God  the  whole  earth  is  made 
tributary  to  the  salvation  of  the  elect.  Therefore  Chsris- 
tians,  who  have  learned  to  put  their  trust  in  God,  not  in 
their  own  wisdom  and  skill  and  strength,  are  admon- 
ished :    "Having  food  and  raiment  let  us  be  therewith  con- 


46  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

tent.  But  they  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation 
and  a  snare,  and  into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts, 
which  drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition.  For  the 
love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil,  which  while  some 
coveted  after,  they  have  erred  from  the  faith,  and  pierced 
themselves  through  with  many  sorrows.  But  thou,  O 
man  of  God,  flee  these  things,  and  follow  after  right- 
eousness, godliness,  faith,  love,  patience,  meekness."  1 
Tim.  6,  8-10.  They  that  inherit  the  earth  are  in  their 
meekness  heartily  willing  that  their  Father  in  heaven 
should  manage  the  vast  estate  and  apportion  to  each  of 
His  numerous  children  such  a  measure  of  the  property 
as  seems  good  in  His  sight  and  is  most  conducive  to  their 
eternal  welfare.  Those  who  want  more,  distrust  God's 
wisdom  and  love,  and  hence  covetousness  is  declared  to 
be  idolatry.  Col.  3,  5.  The  meek  who  inherit  the  earth 
cannot  forget  that  "the  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  ful- 
ness thereof,  the  world  and  they  that  dwell  therein." 
Ps.  24,  1. 

There  are  some  people  who,  looking  merely  on  the 
surface  of  things,  allege  that  this  minimizes  the  bless- 
ing promised  to  the  meek.  They  conclude  that  in  this 
view  the  righteous  have  no  advantage  over  the  ungodly 
as  regards  the  heritage  in  question,  since  all  alike  have 
the  use  of  earthly  things  under  the  dispensations  of 
God's  providence.  But  this  erring  thought  comes  only 
from  a  lack  of  insight  into  the  ways  of  God  and  the  pur- 
pose and  blessedness  of  His  kingdom.  In  the  mercy  of 
the  Maker  of  all,  the  ungodly,  while  He  permits  them  to 
live  in  a  land  that  is  not  theirs,  but  belongs  to  God  and 
His  children,  are  preserved  and  supplied  with  the  neces- 
saries of  life,  and  thus  apparently  enjoy  the  same  bene- 
fits as  the  meek  and  lowly  who  are  said  to  inherit  the 
earth.  The  rich  man  had  his  good  things  on  earth,  while 
Lazarus  lay  hungry  at  his  door.  But  the  rich  man  was 
not  an  heir  of  our  Father's  wealth  and  had  no  treasures 


THE  BEATITUDES.  47 

laid  up  in  heaven;  he  died,  and  lost  everything,  and  was 
tormented.  The  world  as  it  lieth  in  wickedness,  with  all 
its  seeming-  prosperity  and  pleasure,  lacks  everything 
that  could  satisfy  the  soul  and  make  it  happy.  It  does 
not  even  see  and  enjoy  the  glory  of  God  as  the  creation 
displays  it,  much  less  can  it  realize  the  blessedness  which 
grace  imparts  in  our  Savior's  kingdom.  "The  god  of  this 
world  has  blinded  the  eyes  of  them  which  believe  not." 
2  Cor.  4,  4.  However  rich  the  wicked  may  be  in  external 
possessions,  they  have  no  capacity  for  the  enjoyment  of 
God's  gifts  and  for  the  benefits  which  He  would  confer 
by  His  bounty.  Whatever  earthly  treasures  they  may 
accumulate,  "there  is  no  peace,  saith  the  Lord,  to  the 
wicked."  Isa.  48,  22.  Satan,  the  lying  god  of  this 
world,  promises  much  to  those  who  do  him  homage,  but 
the  earth  does  not  belong  to  him  and  to  those  who  own 
him  as  their  lord,  and  they  have  only  their  slavery  and 
their  misery  in  compensation  for  their  service  to  the 
usurping  tyrant.  The  earth  belongs  to  the  Maker  and 
Monarch  of  all,  who  executes  His  eternal  purpose  in  the 
government  of  this  world,  and  whose  will  is  ultimately 
done,  notwithstanding  the  mystery  that  He  lets  the 
devil  go  about  as  a  roaring  lion  seeking  whom  he  may 
devour.  The  earth  is  still  the  Lord's  and  He  still  reigns, 
fulfilling  all  His  promises  and  making  "all  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  Him,  to  them  who 
are  the  called  according  to  His  purpose."  Kom.  8,  28. 
Satan  shall  in  due  time  be  cast  out  and  committed  to  his 
own  place  of  eternal  doom,  and  the  Lord  will  give  His 
disciples  the  undisputed  and  undisturbed  enjoyment  of 
their  everlasting  inheritance.  The  earth,  too,  shall  have 
its  place  in  the  blessedness  of  the  children  of  God.  The 
wickedness  that  is  in  it  shall  cease  to  cramp  and  harass 
the  heirs.  "I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth;  for 
the  first  heaven  and  the  first  earth  w^ere  passed  away, 
and  there  was  no  more  sea.     And  I  John  saw  the  holy 


48  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

city,  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down  from  God  out  of 
heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband. 
And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  heaven,  saying.  Behold 
the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  He  will  dwell 
with  them  and  be  their  God.  And  God  shall  wipe  away 
all  tears  from  their  eyes;  and  there  shall  be  no  more 
death,  neither  sorrow  nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be 
any  more  pain,  for  the  former  things  are  passed  away." 
Rev.  21,  1-4.  The  children  of  God  pass  through  tribula- 
tions into  the  full  fruition  of  their  inheritance;  but  their 
gracious  Lord  is  always  with  them  on  their  journey  to 
supply  every  want  and  minister  every  needed  comfort, 
and  they  never  cease  to  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  glory. 
"We,  according  to  His  promise,  look  for  a  new  heaven 
and  a  new  earth  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness."  2 
Pet.  3,  13. 

IV.  "Blessed  are  they  which  do  hunger  and  thirst 
after  righteousness,  for  they  shall  be  filled."  The  sub- 
jects of  Christ's  kingdom  desire  to  live  righteously  before 
God,  and  they  are  blessed  in  the  realization  of  their  de- 
sire. 

1.  Hunger  and  thirst  express  a  craving  that  is  com- 
mon to  man,  and  whose  nature  all  can  readily  under- 
stand. But  it  is  not  the  natural  craving  for  bodily  meat 
and  drink  to  which  the  words  here  refer.  There  is 
something  else  that  man  needs  besides  bread  for  his 
body.  He  thinks  of  this  most,  because  his  ever  recurring 
appetite  reminds  him  daily  of  the  needs  of  his  nature. 
But  he  has  a  soul  that  also  has  wants  and  requires  at- 
tention, if  he  would  not  lead  a  mere  animal  life.  These 
spiritual  wants  are  of  more  importance  than  the  corpo- 
real, because  they  pertain  to  a  higher  life,  and  a  more 
lasting  good,  but  they  do  not  present  themselves  in  the 
definite  form  which  belongs  to  the  craving  for  bodily 
nourishment.  This  clamors  for  immediate  gratification. 
Therefore  the  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness  ia 


THE   BEATITUDES.  49 

uot  found  ill  all  men  alike,  and  not  all,  tlion<»b  the  lack 
of  such  righteousness  is  common  to  all  and  is  the  cause 
of  the  universal  unr(^st  in  the  world,  receive  the  promise 
that  they  shall  be  tilled.  Men  must  become  weary  and 
heavy  laden  in  the  consciousness  of  their  sin  before  they 
will  come  to  the  Savior  and  find  rest  unto  their  souls. 

According  to  the  Scriptures  death,  w^hich  is  the 
wages  of  sin,  has  come  upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have 
sinned.  In  that  condition  of  spiritual  death  they  all 
lack  the  righteousness  with  which  the}'  were  originally 
endowed  and  in  which  they  were  happy.  Now  all  feel 
that  something  is  lacking  and  their  souls  are  not  at  rest, 
although  in  their  spiritual  blindness  they  seek  to  satisfy 
the  craving  with  things  that  are  not  adapted  to  the 
want.  That  which  really  does  meet  the  want  is  not  ac- 
cording to  their  taste,  and  therefore  the  bread  that 
cometli  down  from  heaven  and  which  would  supply  what 
is  needed,  is  rejected.  When  the  psalmist  says,  Ps.  42, 
1 :  "As  the  heart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks,  so  pant- 
eth  my  soul  after  Thee,  O  God,"  he  expresses  the  happy 
condition  of  a  soul  that  has  felt  the  loss  of  the  divine 
image  with  its  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  and  has 
been  led  to  know  and  love  Him  in  whom  the  loss  is  re- 
trieved and  every  want  is  supplied;  and  Christ  would 
by  His  Holy  Spirit  lead  all  men  to  a  realization  of  their 
lost  condition  and  draw  them  to  Him  as  their  mighty 
Savior.  The  entrance  of  His  Word  giveth  light  respect- 
ing our  deepest  want  and  the  supi)ly  furnislied  by  infinite 
love  and  mercy  in  tlie  Lamb  of  God  tliat  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world.  The  reader  must  not  overlook  the 
precious  fact  tliat  it  is  Christ  Avho  is  s])eaking  the  mes- 
sage of  heaven  to  the  pe()])le  in  His  sermon  on  tlie  mount, 
and  tliat  the  words  which  He  speaks  are  spirit  and  life, 
making  possible  by  their  converting  power  the  appre- 
hension of  the  blessing  promised.  Xot  every  one  shall  in- 
herit it,  but  only  those  who  by  His  grace  hunger  and 
4 


50  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

thirst  after  the  righteousness  which  He  alone  has  to 
give. 

That  righteousness  is  essential  for  admission  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  It  ia  tlie  condition  of  mind  and 
the  quality  of  conduct  which  conforms  to  the  will  of  God 
and  accordingly  to  the  law  in  which  that  will  is  revealed. 
This  God  requires  of  all  men,  "Abhor  that  which  is  evil, 
cleave  to  that  which  is  good."  Eom.  12,  4.  Of  course 
the  rule  for  such  righteousness  cannot  be  the  desires  and 
thoughts  of  our  own  hearts  or  of  the  world  ai'ound  us. 
Since  sin  and  death  have  entered  the  Avorld  by  man's 
transgression  and  fall,  "the  heart  is  deceitful  above  all 
things  and  desperately  wicked,"  Jer.  17,  9,  and  "the 
whole  world  lieth  in  wickedness."  1  John  5,  19.  Hence 
we  need  the  rule  of  right  which  God  has  given  us  in  His 
Word.  Rigliteousness  is  obedience,  inward  and  outward, 
to  I,Iis  holy  law.  "Sin  is  the  transgression  of  the  law;" 
"all  unrighteousness  is  sin."  1  John  3,  4;  5,  17.  "It 
;',]iall  be  our  righteousness,  if  we  observe  to  do  all  these 
commandments  before  the  Lord  our  God,  as  He  hath 
commanded  us."  Deut.  6,  25.  After  this  our  Lord  would 
have  us  hunger  and  thirst,  that  we  may  be  filled. 

Seemingly  all  is  thus  said  that  is  necessary  for  a 
correct  apprehension  of  the  righteousness  to  be  sought. 
But  because  man  naturally  makes  a  distinction  between 
right  and  wrong,  notwithstanding  that  he  is  sold  under 
sin,  and  thus  conceives  a  natural  righteousness  which 
falls  far  short  of  the  spiritual  righteousness  which  God's 
will  requires  and  which  His  law  contemplates;  because 
the  principal  Jewish  teachers  were  noted  for  a  strict  ob- 
servance and  enforcement  of  the  letter  of  the  law,  while 
they  were  repeatedly  rebuked  for  their  disregard  and 
their  transgression  of  its  spirit  and  meaning;  and  be- 
cause our  Lord  Himself,  later  on  -in  His  sermon,  warns 
His  hearers,  "Except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed  the 
righteousness  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  ve  shall  in  no 


THE   BEATITUDES.  51 

cas€^  enter  iuto  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  —  it  is  manifest 
that  the  word  means  more  than  the  doing  right  as  man 
conceives  the  right,  whatever  may  be  his  inner  attitude 
towards  God  and  the  godliness  which  His  law  demands. 
Let  it  be  kept  in  mind  that  Christ  proclaims  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  and  preaches  the  great  salvation  which  it 
embodies  and  which  it  brings  to  our  fallen  and  forlorn 
race.  That  to  this  end  He  preaches  the  law  is  a  matter 
of  course;  for  "the  law  was  our  schoolmaster  to  bring 
us  unto  Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith." 
Gal.  3,  24.  But  this  purpose  could  be  attained  only  by 
teaching  the  spiritual  import  of  the  law,  because  only 
thus  could  sinners  be  brought  to  a  consciousness  of  their 
unrighteousness  and  of  their  helplessness,  and  be  induced 
to  hear  His  voice  calling  them  to  the  righteousness  which 
He  offers  them  as  the  Savior  of  the  world.  The  hearers 
of  the  sermon  were  not  yet  prepared  for  a  complete  un- 
folding of  the  Gospel  and  its  gracious  way  of  salvation 
through  faith  in  the  righteousness  which  He  acquired 
for  them  and  for  all  men  by  His  own  obedience  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross;  but  under  the  tuition 
of  the  schoolmaster  thej^  were  not  led  to  another  Gospel 
than  that  of  the  righteousness  of  God  by  faith  which 
alone  could  avail  for  their  eternal  salvation.  The  right- 
eousness meant  by  our  Savior  is  that  which  is  the  fulfil-  i 
ment  of  the  divine  law  in  all  its  holy  import,  and  that  : 
fulfilment  was  realized  in  His  life  and  death,  who  was  j 
delivered  for  our  offences  and  raised  again  for  our  justifi-  ' 
cation.  j 

2.  The  promise  to  those  who  hunger  and  thirst  after 
such  righteousness  is  that  they  shall  be  filled.  They  shall 
have  what  they  long  for:  their  craving  shall  be  satisfied. 
A  superficial  view  observes  nothing  great  in  such  a 
promise  as  this;  it  may  even  seem  trivial  to  many  who 
can  see  nothing  great  in  righteousness  and  are  aware  of 
no  connection  between  it  and  the  soul's  eternal  happi- 


52  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

ness.  But  it  is  a  marvelous  promise,  and  it  offers  an  un- 
speakable blessing.  The  greatest  need  of  the  soul  is  dis- 
closed, and  the  greatest  gift  of  God  to  supply  it  is  guar- 
anteed. By  the  light  Avhich  the  Lord  gives  them  men 
see  their  true  condition.  They  feel  so  utterly  empty  of 
all  the  good  that  should  be  in  them,  and  in  the  very  feel- 
ing of  emptiness  they  have,  the  prophecy  of  being  filled 
with  all  the  fulness  of  God.  Under  the  tuition  of  the 
Lord's  words  they  realize  their  want,  and  hunger  and 
thirst  after  the  righteousness  which  they  lack,  and  by 
the  grace  of  Him  who  came  to  save  us  they  that  seek 
shall  find.  It  is  wondrous  goodness  and  mercy  that  gives 
poor  souls,  who  have  deserved  nothing  but  banishment 
from  God's  presence  forever,  the  promise  of  being  filled 
with  that  heavenly  blessing  of  righteousness  after  which 
they  have  been  led  to  hunger  and  thirst.  To  this  end 
Christ  came  into  the  world,  that  He  might  bear  witness 
of  the  truth  —  the  truth  first  concerning  our  sinful  state 
and  our  utter  inability  to  escape  the  wages  of  sin,  and 
the  truth  concerning  Himself  and  the  great  salvation 
which  He  has  wrought  for  the  whole  lost  world.  Only 
hearken  to  His  words  when  He  speaks,  and  power  shall 
come  from  on  high  to  supply  what  these  words  require 
as  well  as  what  they  promise.  He  makes  clearer  the  dis- 
tinction between  right  and  wrong  and  makes  known  to 
us  a  better  righteousness  than  that  of  the  law;  He  lays 
bare  to  our  eyes  the  wickedness  and  deceitfulness  of  our 
own  hearts;  He  reveals  the  will  of  God  to  rescue  sin- 
ners, by  the  redemption  which  He  came  to  effect  through 
His  blood,  from  the  curse  that  is  upon  them ;  He  gives  us 
His  Spirit  that  we  might  believe  and  appropriate  the 
blessing  which  He  requires  and  imparts.  Hence  the 
apostle's  prayer  is  "that  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts 
by  faith,  that  ye,  being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love, 
may  be  able  to  comprehend  with  all  saints  what  is  the 
breadth  and  length  and  depth  and  height,  and  to  know 


THE   BEATITUDES.  53 

the  love  of  Christ  whicli  passeth  knowledge,  that  ye 
might  be  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God."  Eph.  3, 
17-19. 

Our  gracious  Savior  would  lead  us  to  a  knowledge  of 
our  lost  estate,  that  we  might  seek  refuge  in  Him  who 
alone  can  save  us  from  the  gulf  of  destruction  that  is 
yawning  before  us.  He  preaches  the  perpetuity  and 
severity  of  the  law,  for  by  this  is  the  knowledge  of  sin; 
but  He  preaches  this,  not  to  the  end  that  we  may  despair 
of  all  righteousness,  or  accept  the  lying  conceit  suggested 
by  Satan  that  the  filthy  rags  of  our  own  righteousness 
will  satisfy  all  the  demands  made  upon  us.  He  does  not 
delude  us  with  prospects  of  blessedness  when  His  own 
law  threatens  damnation.  His  purpose  is  to  help  us  and 
save  us  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and  therefore  calls  upon 
all  to  come  to  Him  in  whom  there  is  help  —  in  whom  alone 
there  is  help.  He  desires  to  awaken  a  sense  of  our  sin, 
tlmt  we  may  hunger  after  a  righteousness  which  we  do  not 
possess,  which  we  have  not  the  power  to  acquire,  but  which 
is  indispensable  if  we  would  escape  the  damnation  which 
the  righteous  law  proclaims  against  transgressors.  And 
those  wlio  are  thus  brought  to  hunger  after  the  right- 
eousness which  He  has  acquired  and  His  Gospel  graciously 
offers,  shall  be  filled.  Despairing  of  any  righteousness  of 
tbeir  own  they  look  to  the  hills  whence  their  help  com- 
eth.  They  are  the  penitent  sinners  whom  the  Holy  Spirit 
leads  to  Christ  as  their  Savior,  and  who  find  in  Him  all 
til  at  they  are  hungering  for.  "The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  them 
til  at  are  of  a  broken  heart,  and  saveth  such  as  be 
of  a  contrite  spirit."  Ps.  34,  18.  And  when  they  have 
thus  been  brought  to  embrace  the  great  salvation  in  the 
Divine  Redeemer  and  by  faith  are  clothed  in  His  righteous- 
ness, the  Holy  S])irit,  wlio  lias  purified  their  hearts  by  the 
faith  which  He  has  wrought,  shows  the  way  of  holiness 
and  moves  them  freely  to  walk  in  it.  "This  is  the  covenant 
that  T   will   make  with  them  after  those  days,  saith  the 


54  THE   SERMON    ON   THE   MOUNT. 

Lord:  I  will  put  My  laws  in  their  hearts  and  in  their 
minds  will  I  write  them."  Heb.  10,  16.  Thus  the  pur- 
pose of  the  law  is  accomplished  at  the  same  time  as  the  de- 
liverance from  its  curse  and  its  bondage  through  the 
Gospel.  And  thus  believers  in  Jesus  have  a  better  right- 
eousness than  that  of  the  Scribes  and  the  Pharisees,  be- 
cause in  Christ  they  have  justification  through  His  aton- 
ing blood  and  are  endowed  "with  power  from  on  high  to 
live  righteously  and  godly  in  this  present  world.  For  He 
"gave  Himself  for  us,  that  He  might  redeem  us  from  all 
iniquity,  and  purify  unto  Himself  a  peculiar  people,  zeal- 
ous of  good  works."    Tit.  2,  14. 

V.  "Blessed  are  the  merciful;  for  they  shall  obtain 
mercy." 

The  four  beatitudes  thus  far  considered  all  imply, 
that  the  hearers  who  appropriate  the  promise  are  intro- 
duced into  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  His  grace  transfers 
them  from  the  realm  of  sin  and  death  to  that  of  life  and 
salvation.  Never  for  a  moment  does  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  lose  sight  of  the  fundamental  truth  which  our 
Lord  expressed  in  the  words:  "Verily,  verily  I  say  unto 
thee,  except  a  man  be  born  again  he  cannot  see  the  king- 
dom of  God."  John  3,  3.  To  be  poor  in  spirit,  to  mourn 
over  our  sin  and  helplessness,  to  meekly  recognize  that 
without  Christ  we  are  nothing  and  can  do  nothing,  and  to 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  is  not  in  the  power 
of  our  fallen  nature.  It  implies  that  power  has  come  to 
us  from  above  and  made  all  things  new,  so  that  we  be- 
come children  of  God,  "giving  thanks  unto  the  Father, 
which  hath  made  us  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inherit- 
ance of  the  saints  in  light;  who  hath  delivered  us  from 
the  power  of  darkness,  and  hath  translated  us  into  the 
'kingdom  of  His  dear  Son :  in  whom  we  iVave  redemption 
through  His  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins."  Col.  1, 
12-14.  This  the  Scriptures  variously  call  regeneration, 
conversion,  repentance.     Without  this,  which  means  that 


THE   BEATITUDES.  55 

the  soul  has  turned  away  from  the  slavery  of  sin  under 
the  dominion  of  Satan  to  the  service  of  righteousness 
under  the  grace  of  our  Kedeemer,  there  is  no  admission 
into  His  kingdom,  which  is  a  congregation  of  believers. 
Those  who  tliink  of  the  sermon  on  the  mount  as  a  mere 
preaching  of  the  law,  excluding  all  the  gracious  influences 
of  the  Gospel  and  appealing  only  to  the  natural  powers  of 
men  and  their  reverence  for  righteousness  under  the  con- 
trol of  conscience,  have  missed  the  whole  design  of  Christ's 
mission  and  work.  He  came  to  establish  a  kingdom  of 
grace  and  salvation  through  the  shedding  of  His  blood 
for  the  sins  of  the  people,  and  to  this  His  teaching  as  well 
as  all  His  other  work  was  tributary,  so  that  when  He  ex- 
pounded the  law  it  was  not  with  the  thought,  that  the 
souls  in  their  sin  still  possessed  powers  of  love  and  holiness 
which  had  hitherto  lain  dormant,  and  need  only  be  aroused 
in  order  to  fulfill  all  righteousness  and  render  them  pleas- 
ing to  God.  That  might  make  Pharisees,  but  could  not 
make  Christians.  He  preached  the  law  that  men  might 
come  to  a  knowledge  of  their  sin  and  come  to  Him  for 
deliverance  from  its  curse.  But  the  purpose  of  the  Lord 
is  not  fully  accomplished  when  sinners  have  believed  in 
Him  and  entered  His  kingdom.  Now  that  they  have  re- 
ceived power  from  on  high  they  still  need  instruction  how 
to  walk  and  please  God.  The  work  of  grace  still  goes  on, 
and  the  fruit-bearing  in  holiness  attests  its  presence  and 
its  progress.  The  promises  of  blessing  are  continued  and 
are  applied  to  the  good  fruits  borne  as  well  as  to  the  good 
tree  planted. 

1.  The  merciful  are  pronounced  blessed.  Mercy  is 
love  in  its  relation  to  the  suffering  and  the  helpless.  He 
is  merciful  who  does  not  oppress  others  because  he  has 
the  power;  who  does  not  insist  on  the  strict  enforcement 
of  legal  right  wlien  compassion  would  prevent  cruelty; 
who  seeks  to  save  the  erring  from  the  evil  consequences  of 
their  error,  instead  of  inflicting  penalty  to  the  utmost  limit 


56  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

of  the  law;  who  feels  kindly  to  the  suffering,  even  though 
the  suffering  is  manifestly  due  to  their  own  fault;  and 
who  otters  relief  to  the  full  extent  of  his  ability,  even 
though  this  involve  a  personal  sacrifice.  God  is  merciful. 
Instead  of  consigning  a  sinful  world  to  the  righteous  doom 
of  everlasting  destruction,  He  sent  His  Son  to  save  it; 
instead  of  condemning  us  to  the  perpetual  gnawing  of  an 
evil  conscience  when  He  has  convicted  us  of  sin,  He  offers 
pardon  and  peace  through  His  Holy  Spirit  by  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ ;  instead  of  visiting  on  us  all  the  evils  in  this 
life  Viiiich  would  result  from  our  wrongdoing,  He  over- 
rules all  for  the  eternal  good  of  them  that  hearken  to  His 
Word.  "Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  His 
benefits;  who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities;  who  healeth 
all  thy  diseases ;  who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  destruction ; 
who  crowneth  thee  with  loving  kindness  and  tender 
mercies."  Ps.  103,  2-4.  And  this  grateful  recognition  of 
God's  mercy  works  mercy  in  the  believing  heart.  "Be  ye 
therefore  merciful,  as  your  Father  also  is  merciful."  Luke 
6,  36.  This  is  possible  when  the  heart  that  has  hungered 
and  thirsted  after  righteousness  has  been  filled,  "We  love 
Him  because  He  first  loved  us,"  and  "have  known  and 
believed  the  love  which  God  hath  to  us."  "If  a  man  say, 
I  love  God,  and  hateth  his  brother,  he  is  a  liar;  for  he 
that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom  he  hath  seen,  how  can  he 
love  God  whom  he  hath  not  seen?"  1  John  4,  19.  20.  The 
grace  of  God  can  render  even  the  naturally  cruel  heart 
merciful,  and  under  its  heavenly  influence  all  who  become 
children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus  have  their 
Father's  image  renewed  in  them,  and  thus  become  merci- 
ful as  their  Father  is  merciful.  Not  as  though  all  attained 
it  in  the  same  degree  or  any  were  already  perfect ;  but  all 
have  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  who  is  sanctifying  them.  Un- 
der His  tuition  and  blessing  the  children  of  God  grow  in 
grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  Jesus,  having  their  con- 


THE   BEATITUDES.  57 

versatioii  in  heaven  and  keeping  daily  company  with  their 
merciful  Father.  . 

2.     To  these  the  promise  is  given  that  they  shall  ob-  j 
tain  nlerc3^     In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  mercy  of  God  I 
extends  over  all  His  creatures  and  that  even  the  wicked  in/ 
this  life  do  not  receive  their  daily  judgment  according  to| 
their  deserts,  many  think  the  promise  of  little  value.    BuH 
it  is  great  and  precious,  although  unbelieving  hearts  ar4 
unable  to  appreciate  it.    That  we  live  under  the  constant 
mercy  of  our  beneficent  Father  in  heaven,  who  lovingH 
cares  for  us  and  never  ceases  to  bestow  His  bounties  upon' 
us  as  His  own  dear  children,  until  His  grace  has  brought i 
us  into  the  mansions  of  bliss  prepared  for  us  as  our  ever-  \ 
lasting  home,  and  that  He  does  this  while  we  not  only  , 
merit  no  good  thing,  but  deserve  punishment  for  daily   \ 
shortcomings  and  transgressions,  —  this  is  a  greater  bless-    \ 
ing  than  man's  darkened  understanding  can  realize.     "He    1 
that  spared  not  His  own  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for 
us  all,  how  shall  He  not  with  Him  also  freely  give  us  all 
things?"    Kom.  8,  32. 

The  promise  is  given  to  them  that  are  merciful.     Our 
mercy  is  indeed  not  the  ground  on  which  the  mercy  of  God  ! 
is  secured  to  us.    That  thought  reverses  the  divine  order,  1 
and  makes  absurd  the  expectation  which  it  excites  in  the 
proud   heart.     God's  mercy   always   precedes   ours,   and  j  \ 
must  precede  it  to  make  ours  possible.    He  is  merciful  to 
us,  and  blesses  us,  giving  us  the  ability,  which  is  not  ours 
by  nature,  to  be  merciful  as  our  Father  in  heaven  is  merci- 
ful. Those  who  trust  in  His  mercy,  by  which  their  lives  are 
crowned  witli  blessing,  never  think  of  claiiiiiug  merit  for 
the  mercy  w^hich  they  are  enabled  to  exercise  towards  their 
fellowmen.    "What  hast  thou  that  thou  didst  not  receive? 
Now  if  thou  didst  receive  it,  why  dost  thou  glory  as  if  thou 
didst  not  receive  it?"  1  Cor.  4,  7.  But  the  fact  remains  that 
the  merciful  have  the  promise  that  they  shall  o])tain  mercy, 


58  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

and  this  fact  must  not  be  disregarded.  God  shows  us 
mercy,  else  we  would  not  have  been  redeemed  by  the 
Savior's  vicarious  obedience  unto  death,  even  the  death  of 
the  cross,  and  would  never  have  believed  in  Him  and  come 
to  Him  that  we  might  have  life.  And  it  is  only  because 
of  His  mercy  that  we,  after  we  have  been  brought  into  His 
kingdom  and  made  heirs  of  heaven,  are  gTaciously  pre- 
served in  faith  and  receive  daily  pardon  of  our  sins,  in- 
cluding the  manifold  imperfections  in  our  works  of  mercy. 
If  that  mercy  did  not  endure  forever,  there  would  be  no 
promise  given  that  we  shall  obtain  mercy  during  our 
whole  pilgrimage  on  earth  and  shall  enter  into  the  joys 
of  our  Lord  when  the  trial  and  struggle  is  over.  The  be- 
liever shall  obtain  mercy  in  the  end,  as  he  received  it  in 
the  beginning  to  become  a  merciful  child  of  our  merciful 
Father.  "Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all 
the  days  of  my  life,  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord  forever."  Ps.  23,  6.  We  can  merit  nothing  for  all 
the  good  that  God  hath  wrought  in  us,  and  the  more  we 
realize  His  blessings  the  less  can  we  dream  of  merit  before 
Him.  But  if  men  reject  the  mercies  of  God,  and  refuse  all 
divine  grace  that  would  enable  them  to  appreciate  these 
mercies  and  render  their  hearts  merciful  after  His  like- 
ness, their  damnation  is  just.  Rejecting  all  offers  of  mercy 
while  they  lived,  they  could  not  be  recipients  of  that  mercy 
after  death,  when  the  world  shall  be  judged  in  righteous- 
ness. The  promise  of  mercy  is  to  the  merciful,  whose 
Father  in  heaven  is  merciful.  Even  in  the  administration 
of  His  government  here  on  earth,  though  we  see  but  dimly 
the  ways  along  which  He  leads  His  children  to  the  eternal 
glory,  the  merciful  obtain  mercy.  "Blessed  is  He  that 
considereth  the  poor:  the  Lord  will  deliver  him  in  time  of 
trouble."  Ps.  41,  2.  But  in  the  final  settlement  of  all 
accounts  it  will  become  fully  manifest  that  the  merciful 
are  blessed,  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. 

VI.     "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart;  for  they  shall 


THE  BEATITUDES.  59 

see  God."    Those  who  come  to  Jesus  and  hearken  to  His   \ 
gracious  Word  become  new  creatures,  and  theirs  shall  be 
the  beatific  vision  of  God  in  His  glory. 

1.  When  the  Savior  speaks  of  some  as  pure  in  heart, 
the  whole  situation  sliows  that  the  words  do  not  mean  to , 
represent  a  portion  of  mankind  as  naturally  pure,  nor  that 
the  effect  of  His  preaching  is  to  give  willing  hearers  abso- 
lute freedom  from  all  stains  of  sin  and  render  their  hearts 
at  once  perfectly  holy.  That  would  contradict  what  the 
Holy  Spirit  says  througli  St.  John :  "If  we  say  that  we  have 
no  sin  we  deceive  ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us." 
1  John  1,  8.  The  true  disciple  of  Christ  is  one  who  hears 
and  believes  His  W^ord,  and  the  truth  makes  him  free  from 
the  condemnation  he  deserves.  The  Savior  is  made  to 
him  sanctification  as  well  as  redemption.  "If  we  say  that 
we  have  fellowship  with  Him,  and  walk  in  darkness, 
we  lie,  and  do  not  the  truth.  But  if  we  walk  in  the 
light,  as  He  is  in  the  light,  we  have  fellowship  one  with 
another,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His  Son  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin."  1  John  1,  6.  7.  Thus  a  pure  people  is  i 
gathered  in  Christ  as  a  holy  congregation  through  faith  in  , 
His  name.  Wherever  the  Gospel  is  preached,  among  Jews 
and  Gentiles  alike,  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  is  ex-  . 
erted  to  work  faith  and  cleanse  the  heart.  Hence  hea-  \ 
thens  were  converted  and  healed  by  divine  grace  as  well 
as  those  who  were  in  the  covenant  by  circumcision.  "God, 
which  knoweth  the  hearts,  bare  them  witness,  giving  them 
the  Holy  Ghost,  even  as  He  did  unto  us,  and  put  no  dif- 
ference between  us  and  them,  purifying  their  hearts  by 
faith."  Acts  15,  8-9.  Only  in  the  kingdom  of  God  is  the 
power  of  divine  grace  exerted  by  which  sinners  are  made 
pure  in  heart,  and  only  by  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
can  that  kingdom  be  entered.  Our  Savior  preached  the  ' 
Gospel  unto  salvation  as  well  as  expounded  the  law  unto 
the  knowledge  of  sin,  and  those  who  hear  Him  and  keep 
His  Word  are  His  disciples  indeed.    None  but  believers  in 


60  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

the  Savior  of  the  world  can  be  pure  in  heart  and  inherit 
the  promise  that  thej  shall  see  God. 

But  as  the  sanctification  of  believing  hearts  is  a  pro- 
cess that  continues  until  the  journey  of  life  through  this 
wilderness  of  sin  is  completed,  and  the  redeemed  soul 
awakes  in  God's  likeness  and  is  satisfied,  the  purity  of 
heart,  which  all  believers  have  in  its  incipiency  and  po- 
tency, has  its  degrees  and  its  gradual  growth.  Perfect 
purity  is  the  aim  and  goal  of  all  who  are  sincere  in  their 
devotion  to  the  Savior,  and  they  continue  steadily  to 
strive  after  it  as  they  follow  in  His  steps,  without  flatter- 
ing themselves  that  they  have  attained  His  spotless  holi- 
ness or  cloaking  the  sin  which  manifests  their  shortcom- 
ing. All  are  blessed  in  the  possession  of  salvation  by 
faith  through  His  grace,  but  their  goal  of  perfection  in 
holiness  is  not  reached  as  long  as  their  work  on  earth  is 
not  yet  finished  and  their  good  fight  of  faith  is  not  yet 
completed.  The  will  of  God  is  their  sanctification,  and 
as  they  desire  to  do  His  will,  that  is  the  object  of  their 
daily  effort  and  the  import  of  their  daily  prayer.  Led  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  they  do  not  permit  the  carnal  thought  to 
dampen  their  zeal,  that  they  have  done  enough  and  suf- 
fered enough  to  be  exempt  from  further  evil  and  conflict, 
and  that  they  may  now  cease  from  their  labors,  although 
the  evening  has  not  yet  come  and  the  Lord  has  not  yet 
called  them  to  rest.  "He  that  endureth  to  the  end  shall 
be  saved,"  Matt.  10,  22.  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death, 
and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life,"  Rev.  2,  10.  If  we 
would  attain  to  higher  blessing  in  this  life  and  stead- 
fastly pursue  the  glory  of  that  which  is  to  come,  we  must 
not  grow  weary  of  the  struggle  against  the  world  and  the 
flesh  and  the  devil.  "Ye  have  not  so  learned  Christ,  if 
so  be  that  ye  have  heard  Him  and  have  been  taught  by 
Him  as  the  truth  is  in  Jesus,  that  ye  put  off  concerning 
the  former  conversation  the  old  man,  which  is  corrupt 
according  to  the  deceitful  lusts;  and  be  renewed  in  the 


THE   BEATITUDES.  61 

spirit  of  your  iiiiud;  and  that  ye  put  on  the  new  man, 
which  after  God  is  created  in  righteousness  and  true  holi- 
ness," Eph.  4,  22-24.  "If  ye  then  be  risen  with  Clirist, 
seek  those  things  which  are  above,  where  Christ  sitteth 
on  the  right  hand  of  (Jod.  Set  your  affections  not  on 
things  of  the  earth.  For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid 
with  Christ  in  God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall 
appear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear  with  Him  in  glory,"  Col. 
3,  1-4.  "He  that  lacketh  these  tilings  is  blind,  and  can- 
not see  afar  off,  and  hath  forgotten  that  he  was  purged 
from  his  old  sins.  ^Mierefore  the  rather,  brethren,  give 
diligence  to  make  your  calling  and  election  sure,"  2  Pet. 
1,  9-10. 

These  admonitions  show  us  what  "pure  in  heart" 
means.  It  is  the  heart  that  by  faith  has  put  on  Christ, 
and  in  His  power  renounces  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  and  the 
hidden  things  of  dishonesty  and  is  fixed  upon  God  and 
His  Word,  withcmt  duplicity  and  dissimulation.  Such  a 
heart  is  by  grace  rendered  simple  in  its  trust  in  God  and 
sincere  in  its  dealings  with  man.  "Mortify,  therefore, 
your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth,  fornication,  un- 
cleanness,  inordinate  affection,  evil  concupiscence,  and 
covetousness,  which  is  idolatry,  for  which  things'  sake 
the  wrath  of  God  cometh  on  the  children  of  disobedience," 
Col.  3,  5.  6.  The  pure  in  heart  can  have  no  pleasure  in 
the  filth  of  sin.  Nor  can  the^^  find  delight  in  misleading 
or  injuring  or  offending  their  neighbors.  "The  end  of  the 
commandment  is  charity  out  of  a  pure  heart  and  of  a 
good  conscience  and  of  faith  unfeigned,  from  which  some 
having  swerved  have  turned  aside  to  vain  jangling." 
1  Tim.  5,  6.  "If  ye  have  bitter  envying  and  strife  in  your 
hearts,  glory  not,  and  lie  not  against  the  truth.  This  wis- 
dom descendeth  not  from  above,  but  is  earthly,  sensual, 
devilish.  For  where  envying  and  strife  is,  there  is  con- 
fusion and  every  evil  work.  But  the  wisdom  that  is  from 
above  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle  and  easy  to  be 


62  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

entreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits,  without  par- 
tiality, and  without  hj^pocrisy,"  Jas.  3,  14-17.  The  purity 
that  Christ  desires  in  His  disciples  and  that  His  Spirit 
works  in  the  hearts  of  them  that  believe,  is  not  that  which 
earthly  wisdom  may  conceive  and  practice  as  an  external 
accomplishment  which  wins  admiration  and  keeps  cere- 
monially clean,  but  that  which  comes  from  above  and 
renders  everything  that  is  .contaminated  with  sin  an 
abomination  in  Christian  eyes,  as  it  is  in  the  sight  of 
God,  who  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  evil  and  can  not 
look  upon  iniquity.  Having  daily  communion  with  God, 
the  Holy  One,  and  striving  to  be  more  like  Him  as  the 
beauty  of  holiness  becomes  daily  more  precious,  the  grate- 
ful child  of  God  gives  earnest  heed  to  the  admonition, 
"Keep  thyself  pure,"  1  Tim.  5,  22. 

2.  The  promise  to  the  pure  in  heart  is  that  they 
shall  see  God.  At  first  glance  this  might  seem  inconsis- 
tent with  some  passages  of  Scripture  indicating  the  im- 
possibility of  such  a  vision.  He  is  a  Spirit  and  therefore 
in  His  nature  invisible.  Thus  it  is  said:  "No  man  hath 
seen  God  at  any  time;  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is 
in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  He  hath  declared  Him,"  John 
1,  18.  And  again  St.  Paul  says  of  Him :  "Who  only  hath 
immortality,  dwelling  in  the  light  which  no  man  can 
approach  unto,  whom  no  man  hath  seen  or  can  see;  to 
whom  be  honor  and  power  everlasting,"  1  Tim.  6,  16.  As 
God  is  a  Spiritual  Being  it  is  perfectly  natural  that  He 
should  be  represented  as  invisible  to  the  natural  eye.  But 
the  words  quoted  themselves  show  that  the  blessing  which 
our  Lord  pronounces  upon  the  pure  in  heart  is  not  in 
conflict,  but  in  perfect  harmony  with  them.  Man  cannot 
with  His  bodily  eye  see  the  Maker  and  Monarch  of  all; 
but  the  Son  hath  declared  Him,  so  that  what  is  impos- 
sible by  nature  becomes  actual  through  supernatural  rev- 
elation. Christ  says:  "He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen 
the  Father,"  John  14,  9.    For  He  is  God  over  all,  blessed 


THE   BEATITUDES.  63 

for  ever,  and  He  and  tlie  Father  are  one.  Therefore  He 
says:  "This  is  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me,  that  every 
one  which  s;^eth  the  Son  and  believeth  on  Him  may  have 
everlasting  life,"  John  G,  40.  The  revelation  given  en- 
ables us  to  see  God  in  His  incarnate  Son,  "And  this  is 
life  eternal  that  they  might  know  Tliee,  tlie  only  true 
God,  and  pJesus  Christ  whom  Thou  hast  sent."  The  bless- 
ing pronounced  upon  the  i)ure  in  heart,  whose  eyes  are 
purged  that  they  may  behold  in  Christ  their  God  and 
their  Redeemer,  is  the  everlasting  life  which  believers 
cJijoy  here  and  in  its  fulness  hereafter. 

Seeing  God  is  knowing  Him  as  the  Gospel  has  re- 
vealed and  faith  has  received  Him.  In  proportion  as  our 
hearts  are  progressively  purified  by  faith  in  that  Gospel 
of  grace  our  capacity  for  seeing  God  and  realizing  the 
promised  blessedness  increases.  Our  Lord  say :  "If  any 
num  will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine 
whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself,"  John 
7,  17.  Only  those  whose  hearts  are  renewed  by  the  Spirit 
of  God  can  know  Him  and  the  precious  truth  which  He 
declares.  "The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of 
the  Spirit  of  God ;  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him ; 
neither  can  he  know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually 
discerned,"  1  Cor.  2,  14.  "Except  a  man  be  born  again 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God,"  in  wliich  He  is  re- 
vealed and  His  heavenly  treasures  are  dispensed.  Hav- 
ing entered  that  kingdom,  the  path  of  the  loyal  subjects 
of  the  King  becomes  ever  plainer.  "Unto  the  upright 
there  ariseth  light  in  the  darkness,"  Ps.  112,  4.  And 
this  increases  in  brightness  as  we  apply  tlie  grjice  given 
us,  according  to  the  exhortation :  "Grow  in  grace  and  in 
the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ,"  2 
Pet.  3,  18.  Believers  thus  experience  what  is  written, 
"The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light  that  shineth 
more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day,"  Prov.  4,  18. 

In  that  perfect  day,  when  the  mists  of  this  world 


64  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

shall  liave  cleared  away,  the  pure  in  heart  shall  realize 
more  fully  the  promised  vision  of  God.  "For  now  we  see 
through  a  glass  darkly,  but  then  shall  I  know  even  as 
also  I  am  known,"  1  Cor.  13,  12.  We  know  God  now  as 
our  reconciled  Father,  who  is  ever  present  with  us  to 
direct  our  way,  to  supply  our  wants,  to  defend  us  against 
foes,  and  to  comfort  us  in  our  tribulation,  but  it  is  in 
faith  and  hope,  "as  seeing-  Him  who  is  invisible,"  Heb. 
11,  27.  Whatever  raptures  of  bliss  may  be  exceptionally 
granted  to  consecrated  hearts,  in  visions  of  Jesus  and 
the  glory  of  angels  around  His  throne,  even  while  pur- 
suing their  pilgrimage  on  earth,  there  is  no  indication 
that  these  are  the  blessing  which  our  Savior  had  in  view 
when  He  promised  that  the  pure  in  heart  should  see  God, 
or  that  such  ecstasies  are  designed  for  all  believers  in  this 
earthly  life,  where  we  must  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith 
and  be  content  to  pass  through  much  tribulation  into  the 
kingdom  of  glory.  But  when  our  pilgrimage  is  ended  and 
we  by  our  Savior's  ^race  have  kept  the  faith,  we  shall 
see  Him  face  to  face  and  enjoy  the  beautiful  vision  for- 
ever. The  seeing  shall  be  intuitive  and  direct  as  when  a 
man  looks  upon  the  face  of  his  brother,  and  we  shall 
know  Him  with  that  unerring  completeness  with  wiiich 
He  knows  us.  We  know  Him  now,  and  are  blessed  in  the 
knowledge;  but  we  shall  know  Him  more  perfectly  and 
more  blissfully  w^hen  we  shall  aw^ake  in  His  likeness  at 
the  resurrection  of  our  bodies,  glorified  to  see  His  glor- 
ious face.  The  complete  realization  of  the  blessedness 
promised  to  the  pure  in  heart  is  therefore  yet  in  store  for 
us  in  our  Father's  house,  and  is  an  object  of  hope  to 
cheer  us  on  our  journey.  "Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons 
of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  wdiat  w-e  shall  be;  but 
we  know  that  w^hen  He  shall  appear  we  shall  be  like  Him ; 
for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is.  And  every  man  that  hath 
this  hope  in  Him  purifieth  himself,  even  as  He  is  pure," 
1  John  3,  2  .  3. 


THE  BEATITUDES.  65 

VII.  "Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall 
be  called  the  children  of  God."  Making  peace  on  earth 
becomes  the  children  of  God,  and  they  who  fulfill  this 
mission  receive  their  Father's  blessing.  \ 

1.  Amid  the  jarring  and  jangling,  tlie  strife  and 
confusion  wliich  sin  has  brought  into  the  world,  Christ 
speaks  words  of  peace  and  by  His  grace  renders  His  dis- 
ciples peacemakers  in  the  community.  Righteousness 
originally  united  all  things  in  a  harmonious  whole,  in 
which  the  good  will  of  God  was  done  by  all  His  creatures. 
But  this  was  of  sliort  duration.  The  creature  that  was 
formed  in  God's  own  image  sinned,  and  dissolution  and 
ruin  was  the  result.  Disregarding  the  will  of  his  Maker, 
by  which  alone  harmony  and  happiness  coukl  exist,  every 
man  consulted  his  own  will  and  chose  his  own  course. 
Thus  every  one  was  for  himself  and  all  in  contention  with 
each  other,  because  each  one  had  a  will  of  his  own  and 
lived  unto  himself.  It  was  this  that  made  necessary  the 
coming  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  to  rescue  the  ruined  world 
from  the  curse  that  was  upon  it,  that  in  the  possession 
of  salvation  by  faith  in  Him  peace  might  be  restored.  This 
is  what  the  apostle  means  when  he  says:  "The  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  us;  because  we  thus  judge,  that  if  one 
died  for  all,  then  all  were  dead;  and  tliat  He  died  for  all, 
that  they  should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  but 
unto  Him  which  died  for  them  and  rose  again,"  2  Cor. 
5,  14  .  15.  In  man's  natural  condition  there  is  no  peace 
and  there  are  no  peacemakers.  In  this  as  in  all  the  other 
beatitudes  the  Lord  does  not  find  certain  persons  who  are 
qualified  by  nature  to  receive  the  blessings  of  His  king- 
dom, but  He  gives  His  quickening  Word  to  men  in  their 
lost  estate  and  thereby  turns  to  Him  the  hearts  of  such 
as  hear  it  and  are  willing  to  heed  it. 

By  peacemakers  is  therefore  not  meant  a  class  of  men 
who  naturally  are  of  a  more  conciliatory  disposition  than 
others  and  who  accordingly  are  by  inborn  endowments 


66  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

better  fitted  for  the  kingdom  of  God.  There  are  no  such 
people.  All  are  born  in  sin,  and  the  works  of  the  flesh 
are  the  same  in  all.  There  are  indeed  some  whom  love 
of  ease  makes  averse  to  strife  and  who  would  rather  make 
concessions  to  the  selfishness  of  their  neighbors  than  have 
their  quiet  disturbed  by  contending  against  wrongs;  and 
there  are  some  who,  seeing  the  advantage  of  living  peace- 
ably among  their  fellow  men,_  by  efforts  of  their  will  curb 
the  outbreaks  of  their  petulant  and  contentious  passions 
and  thus  impress  others  as  men  of  peace.  But  that  is  a 
prudent  discipline  exercised  b}^  reason  over  selfishness 
in  order  to  gratify  it  in  another  form  that  seems  more 
profitable.  It  is  well  for  the  community  that  not  all  have 
the  pugnacious  temperament  which  is  ready  for  a  fight 
on  any  trivial  provocation,  though  reason  would  dictate 
forbearance  in  the  interest  of  self.  They  are  not  men  of 
peace,  and  even  when  they  exert  their  influence  to  have 
a  quiet  neighborhood,  they  are  not  the  self-denying  peace- 
makers contemplated  in  the  Savior's  blessing.  He  means 
people  to  whom  the  kingdom  of  heaven  has  come  and  to 
whom  He  has  brought  the  peace  of  heaven,  according  to 
the  words  of  inspiration :  "Being  justified  by  faith  we 
have  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ," 
and  our  Lord's  own  words :  "Peace  I  leave  with  you, 
my  peace  I  give  unto  you;  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give 
I  unto  you,"  Rom.  5,  1 ;  John  14,  27.  He  stills  the  storms^ 
which  sin  has  aroused  in  the  world,  stills  tliem  first  in 
our  own  hearts,  that  we  may  become  peacemakers  to 
others.  "Now  the  Lord  of  peace  give  you  peace  always 
by  all  means,"  2  Thess.  3,  16.  The  first  song  that  was 
sung  at  our  Savior's  birth  was  that  of  the  angelic  host, 
"Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,"  Luke 
2,  14.  This  implies  that  His  disciples  shall  find  rest  for 
their  souls  in  Him.  Then  those  who  realize  the  peace 
which  He  gives  are  led  by  the  Spirit  to  bring  His  peace  to 
all  within  their  reach,  and  of  course  to  live  in  peace  with 


THE   BEATITUDES.  67 

all  about  them.  "If  it  be  possible,  as  much  as  lieth  in 
jou,  live  peaceably  with  all  men,"  Rom.  12,  18.  It  lies 
ill  the  renewed  nature  of  believers  that  they  strive  to 
impart  to  others  the  heavenly  blessings  which  the  grace 
of  God  has  bestowed  upon  them,  that  all  the  world  may 
enjoy  what  the  Savior  secured  for  all.  They  are  thus 
the  peacemakers,  their  faith  working  by  love,  that  there 
may  be  peace  on  earth  through  the  good  tidings  which 
shall  be  to  all  people. 

2.  The  blessing  pronounced  upon  these  is  that  they 
shall  be  called  the  children  of  God.  It  is  a  glorious  gift, 
but  it  can  be  realized  only  through  faith  in  the  Only  Be- 
gotten of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth.  "As  many 
as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become  the 
sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  in  His  name,"  John 
1,  12.  Not  our  endeavors  to  find  peace  by  abounding  in 
good  works  to  appease  our  conscience,  nor  our  labors  to 
preserve  or  bring  about  peace  among  our  quarrelsome 
neighbors  can  make  us  children  of  God.  That  would  be 
reversing  the  order  of  divine  grace,  which  renders  us 
children  of  God  through  the  washing  of  regeneration  and 
renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Having  received  the  Spirit 
of  adoption  and  by  its  power  possessing  peace  and  seek- 
ing peace  with  all  men,  we  shall  manifest  that  we  are 
children  of  God  and  be  recognized  and  honored  as  such. 

Were  it  not  that  so  many  nominal  Christians  have 
but  a  low  appreciation  of  the  great  blessing  and  high 
prerogative  expressed  by  the  term  children  of  God,  we 
would  not  deem  it  necessary,  when  addressing  professed 
disciples  of  Christ,  to  emphasize  the  remark,  that  He  does 
not  use  the  appellation  in  the  wide  sense  in  which  it  is 
often  taken  and  in  which  it  embraces  all  the  children  of 
men,  unbelievers  as  well  as  believers.  Because  all  men 
are  creatures  of  God,  as  their  Maker  He  is  in  a  figurative 
sense  called  their  Father.  But  our  Lord  distinguishes 
those  who  are  His  from  those  who  reject  Him.     Not  all 


68  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

are  children  of  God,  but  only  those  who  receive  Him  and 
believe  on  His  name.  Not  all  are  promised  the  blessing 
of  being  called  children  of  God,  but  only  those  who  are 
peacemakers.  Sonship  with  God  is  a  glorious  gift  which 
can  be  ours  only  through  the  Savior.  "Ye  are  all  the 
children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,"  Gal.  3,  26.  The 
idea  of  a  fatherhood  of  God  and  brotherhood  of  man,  em- 
bracing the  whole  human  race  as  having  a  common  origin 
in  the  one  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth,  so  that  all  have 
equal  access  to  God  and  are  equally  acceptable  to  Him 
on  the  basis  of  such  natural  relation,  is  foreign  to  the 
Scriptures  and  pernicious  in  its  influence.  The  Gospel 
knows  nothing  of  a  coming  to  the  Father  without  the 
mediation  of  Christ  and  the  atonement  made  through  His 
blood,  and  of  an  adoption  into  the  family  of  God,  with 
all  the  grace  and  glory  which  this  involves,  without  faith 
in  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world.  Jesus  says:  "I  am  the  way  and  the  truth  and 
the  life;  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me," 
John  14,  6.  It  is  a  fatal  delusion  when  on  the  basis  of 
nature  and  natural  relations  and  efforts  the  hope  is  en- 
tertained and  the  promises  are  claimed  which  God  gives 
His  children.  By  nature  all  are  children  of  wrath,  and 
without  Christ  we  can  do  nothing,  and  have  therefore 
nothing  to  expect  but  the  indignation  and  wrath  which  is 
revealed  against  every  soul  of  man  that  doeth  evil.  That 
the  x>eacemakers  shall  be  called  the  children  of  God  is 
owing  to  their  relationship  by  faith  to  the  Savior.  None 
but  those  who  receive  Him  are  endowed  with  the  precious 
gift.  "For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they 
are  the  sons  of  God.  For  ye  have  not  received  the  spirit 
of  bondage  again  to  fear,  but  ye  have  received  the  Spirit 
of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father..  The  Spirit 
itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit  that  we  are  the 
children  of  God ;  and  if  children,  then  heirs,  heirs  of  God 
and  joint  heirs  with  Christ,"  Rom.  8,  14-17.     He  is  the 


THE   BEATITUDES.  69 

Only  Begotten  of  the  Father,  the  Eternal  Son  by  nature, 
and  only  in  Him,  who  is  Heir  of  all  things,  do  we  by 
adoption  become  partakers  of  His  blessing.  By  faith  in 
Him,  and  only  by  faith  which  joins  us  to  Him,  is  God 
truly  our  Father  and  are  we  His  children  indeed.  The 
promised  blessing  is  great  and  glorious,  and  becomes  in- 
creasingly so  as  we  more  and  more  realize  its  heavenly 
import.  "Behold  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath 
bestowed  upon  us  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of 
God ;  therefore  the  world  knoweth  us  not,  because  it  knew 
Him  not.  Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it 
doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be;  but  we  know  that, 
when  He  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  Him,  for  we  shall 
see  Him  as  He  is,"  1  John  3,  1  .  2. 

Christians,  being  blessed  with  such  privileges  and  ! 
enjoying  such  hopes,  should  be  diligent  to  exercise  their 
gifts  and  adorn  the  doctrine  which  they  profess  by  mani- 
festing themselves  as  peacemakers  in  the  community. 
With  the  peace  of  God  in  their  hearts  and  the  commission 
to  bring  it  to  the  hearts  of  others  by  the  Gospel,  it  is  meet 
that  they  should  lead  a  quiet  and  peaceable  life  in  all  god- 
liness. "Let  nothing  be  done  through  strife  or  vainglory, 
but  in  lowliness  of  mind  let  each  esteem  others  better  than 
themselves."  Phil.  2,  3.  In  their  intercourse  with  breth- 
ren in  the  church  this  will  lead  them  to  avoid  all  ques- 
tions and  conduct  that  engender  strife;  and  in  their  social 
relations  it  will  protect  them  against  the  sins  of  the  tongue 
that  are  so  frequent  and  that  do  so  much  toward  foment- 
ing ill-feeling  and  distressing  contentions  among  neigh- 
bors. Children  of  God  must  not  engage  in  gossip  that 
tends  to  tarnish  the  good  name  of  honorable  members  of 
the  community,  and  the  least  that  they  can  do  in  charity, 
when  others  assail  their  reputation,  is  to  speak  well  of 
the  absent  and  defend  them  against  injurious  reports.  In 
all  things  their  calling  is  to  be  peacemakers,  that  as  such 
they  may  inherit  the  promised  blessing. 


70  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

VIII.  "Blessed  are  they  which  are  persecuted  for 
righteousness'  sake,  for  theirs  is  the  l^;ingdom  of  heaven. 
Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  revile  you  and  persecute 
you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely, 
for  My  sake.  Kejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad ;  for  great  is 
your  reward  in  heaven ;  for  so  persecuted  they  the  proph- 
ets, which  were  before  you." 

1.  That  to  the  good  qualities  required  of  the  mem- 
bers of  Christ's  kingdom  and  the  rich  blessings  promised 
them  should  finally  be  added  a  prospect  of  persecutions 
and  a  benediction  upon  their  patient  endurance,  must  not 
surprise  us.  Our  journey  to  the  promised  land  is  not  com- 
pleted, and  our  warfare  against  the  foes  that  beset  our 
path  is  not  ended,  when  the  grace  of  our  Savior  has 
brought  us  into  His  kingdom  and  made  us  partakers  of 
its  righteousness  and  its  great  salvation.  "He  that  en- 
dureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved."  Matt.  10,  22.  But 
before  the  end  comes  there  is  work  to  be  done  and  a  war- 
fare to  be  waged.  We  are  called  to  be  laborers  in  His 
vineyard,  we  are  enlisted  as  soldiers  in  His  army.  The 
world  hates  the  sincere  followers  of  the  Savior  as  it  hated 
Him ;  the  devil  is  a  strong  and  wily  foe,  who  is  ever  going 
about  seeking  whom  he  may  devour.  Our  own  flesh  is  in 
secret  league  with  the  devil  and  the  world,  and  naturally 
shuns  hard  work  and  hot  battles.  Therefore  constant  vigi- 
lance and  prayer  are  necessary,  if  in  the  end  we  would 
say  with  St.  Paul:  "I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have 
finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith ;  henceforth  there 
is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness."  2  Tim.  4,  7.  8. 
In  passing  through  the  enemy's  country,  which  this  world 
that  lieth  in  wickedness  undoubtedly  is,  we  must  expect 
hardships  and  tribulations;  for  the  spirit  of  Christians 
and  the  spirit  of  the  world  are  never  in  agreement.  "Be^ 
loved,  think  it  not  strange  concerning  .the  fiery  trial  which 
is  to  try  you,  as  though  some  strange  thing  happened  unto 
you ;  but  rejoice,  inasmuch  as  ye  are  partakers  of  Christ's 


THE  BEATITUDES.  71 

sufferings;  that  when  His  glory  shall  be  revealed,  ye  may 
be  glad  also  with  exceeding  joy."  1  Pet.  4,  12.  13.  That 
is  one  of  the  hardest  lessons  that  our  Lord's  disciples  have 
to  learn.  Nothing  is  more  natural  than  that  the  devil  and 
the  world  and  the  flesh  should  hate  the  children  of  God 
and  ham])er  and  harass  them  in  their  work  and  their  pro- 
gress heavenward,  and  that  they  should  assault  and  per- 
secute them,  but  nothing  is  more  natural  either  than  that 
the  flesh  should  shrink  from  the  fiery  trial.  The  conflict 
is  inevitable;  but  we  are  Avarned  that  only  they  who  are 
faithful  unto  death  can  obtain  the  crown  of  life.  "If  the 
world  hate  you,"  saith  our  Lord,  "ye  know  that  it  hated 
Me  before  it  hated  you.  If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world 
would  love  its  own ;  but  because  ye  are  not  of  the  world, 
but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the 
world  hatetli  you.  Eemember  the  word  that  I  said  unto 
you.  The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  Lord.  If  they 
have  persecuted  ]\[e,  they  will  also  persecute  you;  if  they 
have  kept  INIy  saying,  they  will  keep  yours  also.  But  all 
these  things  will  they  do  unto  you  for  my  name's  sake, 
because  they  know  not  Him  that  sent  Me."  John  15,  18-21. 
In  its  very  essence  Christianity  is  not  congenial  to  the 
world  that  lieth  in  wickedness;  therefore  it  lies  in  the 
nature  of  things  that  the  followers  of  Christ  must  pass 
through  tribulations  into  the  kingdom  of  glory  in  heaven. 
Christians  who  will  not  learn  this  simple  lesson,  but  seek 
to  live  a  life  of  self-indulgent  ease  and  luxury  while  pro- 
fessing to  follow  Christ,  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  passed 
from  death  unto  life  and  made  their  calling  and  election 
sure.  "Then  said  Jesus  unto  His  disciples,  If  any  man 
will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his 
cross  and  follow  Me."     i\Iatt.  16,  24. 

2.  But  those  who  suffer  persecution  for  the  Lord's 
sake  are  blessed.  What  seems  a  loss  is  really  a  gain  to 
them.  "Kejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad,  for  great  is  your 
reward   in   heaven;  for  so  persecuted  they  the  prophets 


72  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

that  were  before  you."  The  great  salvation  which  Christ 
secured  for  all,  and  which  He  imparts  to  believers  through 
His  life-giving  Word,  enriches  them  beyond  all  that  the 
world  can  give  or  take  away,  and  the  sufferings  through 
which  they  must  pass  are  amply  compensated  by  the  pleas- 
ures which  shall  be  theirs  forevermore  at  His  right  hand. 
Nay,  these  sufferings  themselves  become  blessings  under 
God's  gracious  guidance  by  directing  our  thoughts  away 
from  the  miseries  and  vanities  of  earth  to  the  joys  and 
realities  of  heaven.  For  we  are  "heirs  of  God  and  joint- 
heirs  with  Christ,  if  so  be  that  we  suffer  with  Him,  that 
we  may  also  be  glorified  together.  For  I  reckon  that  the 
sufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us."  Kom. 
8,  17.  18.  Therefore  Christians,  when  they  are  called  to 
bear  the  cross  after  their  beloved  Lord,  painful  as  this 
may  be  for  the  moment,  are  blessed ;  for  they  are  in  their 
blessed  Savior's  company,  who  makes  all  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  Him.  "In  the  world 
ye  shall  have  tribulations,"  He  tells  us,  "but  be  of  good 
cheer :  I  have  overcome  the  world."  John  16,  33.  A  little 
while  and  all  the  discomforts  of  the  wilderness  will  be 
past,  and  the  complete  realization  of  the  blessings  await- 
ing His  people  in  the  promised  land  shall  be  ours.  "Being 
justified  by  faith  we  have  peace  with  God  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ;  by  whom  also  we  have  access  by  faith 
into  this  grace  wherein  we  stand  and  rejoice  in  hope  of 
the  glory  of  God.  And  not  only  so,  but  we  glory  in  tribu- 
lations also,  knowing  that  tribulation  worketh  patience; 
and  patience,  experience,  and  experience,  hope;  and  hope 
maketh  not  ashamed."    Rom.  5,  1-4. 


SECTION  ni. 

The  High  Calling:. 

(Matthew  5,  13-16). 

J^  HE  hearers  who  did  not  stubbornly  resist  and  event- 
%A^  nallv  reject  the  j^racious  words  of  life  which  Christ 
presented,  but  in  faith  accepted  the  promises  f^ven 
in  the  Beatitudes,  entered  His  kingdom.  In  this  they  re- 
ceived a  calling  and  a  mission  which  raised  them  high 
above  all  that  the  earth  could  give.  They  are  inducted 
into  a  kingdom  which  is  not  of  this  world  and  whose  pur- 
poses and  powers  lie  in  a  liigher  sphere  than  any  which 
this  world  knows.  But  it  is  a  kingdom  which,  though  it 
is  of  eternal  duration  and  deals  with  things  that  are  of 
everlasting  import,  is  established  upon  this  earth,  and 
whose  heavenly  influence  is  designed  to  permeate  and  re- 
generate this  world  which  lieth  in  wickedness  and  rescue 
it  from  the  death  to  which  its  sin  has  doomed  it.  Every 
one  who  enters  this  kingdom  receives  the  vocation  and  is 
endowed  with  power  from  on  high  to  be  a  co-worker  with 
God  to  promote  its  gracious  purpose  as  he  enjoys  its  hea- 
venly blessings  in  the  hope  of  glory.  Not  only  the  preach- 
ers of  the  Gospel,  who  receive  a  special  calling  to  the  pub- 
lic duties  of  the  ministerial  office,  but  every  child  of  God 
is  enlisted  for  the  work.  "Ye  are  a  chosen  generation,  a 
royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people,  that  ye 
should  show  forth  the  praises  of  Him  who  hath  called  you 
out  of  darkness  into  His  marvelous  light,  which  in  time 
past  were  not  a  people,  but  are  now  the  people  of  God, 
which  had  not  obtained  mercy,  but  now  have  obtained 
mercy."  1  Pet.  2,  9.  10.  In  the  kingdom  of  God  there  are 
manifold  duties  to  be  performed  and  manifold  gifts  im- 

73 


74  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

parted  for  their  performance,  and  the  Lord  assigns  to  each 
member  his  place  and  station,  that  the  best  possible  use 
may  be  made  of  all  the  gifts  for  the  common  benefit. 
"There  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but  the  same  Spirit.  And 
there  are  differences  of  administration,  but  the  same  Lord, 
And  there  are  diversities  of  operations,  but  it  is  the  same 
God  which  worketh  all  in  all.  But  the  manifestation  of 
the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit  withal."  1  Cor. 
12,  4-7.  There  are,  therefore,  special  callings  to  which 
special  corresponding  duties  are  committed.  But  all  have 
the  general  calling  to  serve  the  Lord  and  His  kingdom, 
each  in  the  place  assigned  him.  "For  as  we  have  many 
members  in  one  body,  and  all  members  have  not  the  same 
office,  so  we,  being  many,  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and  every 
one  members  one  of  another."  Kom.  12,  4.5.  This  general 
vocation  of  the  members  our  Lord  expresses  under  the 
figure  of  salt  and  light. 

1.  "Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth;  but  if  the  salt 
have  lost  its  savor  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted?  it  is 
thenceforth  good  for  nothing  but  to  be  cast  out  and  to 
be  trodden  under  foot  of  men." 

Salt  is  an  article  so  widely  known  and  used  that  its 
employment  as  a  figure  is  easily  understood,  although 
figurative  modes  of  speech  always  cause  more  or  less  dif- 
ficulty which  words  used  in  their  strict  sense  do  not 
present.  The  purpose  of  salt  is  to  prevent  decay  and  to 
impart  savor  and  taste.  It  is  a  preservative  and  a  relish. 
Applied  to  food  it  prevents  putrefaction,  and  renders 
agreeable  to  the  palate  what  would  otherwise  be  insipid. 
"Can  that  which  is  unsavory  be  eaten  without  salt?" 
Hence  it  was  ordered  to  be  used  in  sacrifices.  "Every  ob- 
lation of  thy  meat  offering  shalt  thou  season  with  salt, 
neither  shalt  thou  suffer  the  salt  of  the  covenant  of  thy 
God  to  be  lacking  from  thy  meat  oi^ering:  with  all  thine 
offerings  thou  shalt  offer  salt."  Lev.  2,  13.  It  was  a 
symbol  of  purity.     The  offering  should  not  be  putrid  or 


THE    HIGH    CALLING.  75 

unseasoned.  Therefore  our  Lord  commands  His  dis- 
ciples: "Have  salt  in  yourselves  and  have  peace  one  with 
another."  Mark  9,  50.  And  St.  Paul  says:  "Let  your 
speech  be  always  with  grace,  seasoned  with  salt,  that  ye 
may  know  how  to  answer  every  man."    Col.  4,  6. 

The  members  of  Christ's  kingdom  are  called  not  only 
to  have  salt  and  faithfully  to  use  it,  but  to  be  the  salt 
of  the  earth.  They  themselves  are  designed  to  be  a  puri- 
fying element  in  the  mass  of  corruption  which  mankind 
has  become  through  the  malignant  work  of  Satan.  Sin 
has  brought  death  into  the  world,  with  all  the  decay  and 
dissolution  which  this  implies.  The  Son  of  God  was 
made  Hesh  and  dwelt  among  us  that  He  might  deliver 
the  fallen  world  from  the  rottenness  which  has  come 
upon  it  and  the  utter  ruin  which  must  result  if  the  work 
of  sin  and  death  is  not  arrested.  He  came  to  save  that 
which  was  lost,  offering  Himself  as  a  sacrifice  for  the 
sins  of  the  world,  and  introducing  a  new  life  as  the  sec- 
ond Adam  in  whom  all  men  may  again  obtain  what  was 
lost  when  the  first  Adam  sinned  and  death  ensued.  Thus 
death  was  swallowed  up  in  victory  and  a  peculiar  people 
was  gathered,  whose  hearts  were  purified  by  faith  and 
who  should  be  a  salt  for  the  purification  of  others.  When 
the  sermon  on  the  mount  was  preached  He  had  indeed 
not  yet  effected  the  atonement  upon  the  cross;  but  in 
the  counsels  of  God  the  work  of  redemption  was  finished, 
and  therefore  the  Scriptures  speak  of  the  "book  of  life 
of  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 
Rev.  13,  8.  He  established  His  kingdom  on  earth  by  His 
Word,  and  those  who  believed  the  heavenly  truth  which 
He  preached  entered  in  and  were  blessed.  So  it  is  still. 
As  many  as  receive  Him  as  He  is  presented  in  the  Gos- 
pel of  His  grace  unto  salvation,  pass  from  death  unto 
life  and  share  His  victory  over  sin  and  death.  They  are 
the  salt  of  the  earth,  preserving  from  putrefaction  and 
seasoning;  all  that  hear  His  voice  and  come  unto  Him. 


76  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

They  are  the  salt  through  whom,  by  the  appointment  and 
blessing  of  God,  salvation  should  come  to  all  the  ends 
of  the  earth. 

Such  a  salt  Christian  believers  are  by  their  teach- 
ing and  their  lives.  Primarily  they  are  this  by  the  Word 
which  they  have  received,  and  which  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  all  them  that  believe.  By  it  we  have 
been  brought  into  the  kingdom  of  God  ourselves,  and  by 
it  others,  to  whom  we  are  commissioned  to  bring  the 
Gospel,  are  empowered  to  enter  it  and  enjoy  its  heavenly 
blessings.  The  fact  that,  according  to  our  Lord's  ordi- 
nance, preachers  of  the  Gospel  are  to  receive  a  special 
call  by  the  Church  before  they  are  authorized  to  per- 
form the  public  functions  of  the  ministry  and  assume  the 
pastoral  oflfice,  has  led  some  to  entertain  the  opinion  that 
only  such  as  hold  this  special  office  are  the  salt  of  the 
earth.  There  is  no  reason  in  the  text  and  the  circum- 
stances, as  there  is  none  in  the  nature  of  the  subject  set 
forth,  that  would  justify  such  a  limitation  of  the  powers 
and  privileges  and  duties  of  believers  in  Christ,  who 
are  a  peculiar  people  and  a  royal  priesthood  and  as  such 
have  the  calling  in  common  to  show  forth  the  praises 
of  Him  who  has  called  them  to  His  marvelous  light  The 
Gospel  is  given  to  every  believer,  else  he  could  not  be  a 
member  of  Christ's  kingdom,  and  the  command  is  given 
to  every  one  to  make  known  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ,  that  others  too  may  enjoy  them.  "Whosoever 
therefore  shall  confess  me  before  men,  him  will  I  confess 
also  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven;  but  whoso- 
ever shall  deny  me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny  be- 
fore my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  Matt.  10,  32.  33. 
The  confession  of  Christ,  to  which  the  Spirit  in  our  hearts 
as  well  as  the  command  of  the  Lord  moves  His  people, 
means  making  Him  and  His  saving  truth  known  to  all 
around  us;  and  this  is  so  necessary  to  the  fulfillment  of 
the  Christian  vocation  and  to  the  accomplishment  of  the 


THE   HIGH   CALLING.  77 

design  of  His  kingdom  on  earth  that  fidelity  to  Him  is 
inconceivable  without  it.  "The  Word  is  nigh  thee,  even  in 
thy  mouth  and  in  thy  heart;  that  is,  the  word  of  faith 
which  we  preach;  that  if  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy 
mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  believe  in  thy  heart 
that  God  hath  raised  Him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be 
saved.  For  with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  right- 
eousness and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto 
salvation."  Rom.  10,  8-10.  It  is  in  pursuance  of  this 
high  calling  as  the  salt  of  the  earth  that  not  only  each 
individual  believer  tells  others,  as  opportunity  offers,  of 
the  great  salvation  in  Christ  and  the  glorious  hope  of 
His  disciples,  but  also  that  members  who  have  the  same 
faith  join  together  in  congregations,  call  ministers  for 
the  stated  preaching  of  the  Gospel  and  administration 
of  the  Sacraments  in  public  office,  worship  Him  together 
with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit  in  regular  public 
worship,  and  make  all  the  necessary  arrangements  for 
missionary  work  and  the  preservation  and  extension  of 
His  kingdom  on  earth.  They  are  the  salt  by  whose  puri- 
fying and  preserving  power,  exerted  through  the  divinely 
appointed  means  of  grace,  a  holy  Church  is  gathered 
out  of  the  mass  of  corruption  and  sanctified  as  a  temple 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  which  the  praises  of  God  are 
shown  forth  to  all  people,  and  from  which  the  Savior's 
call  goes  out  unceasingly;  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

But  also  by  their  life  they  have  the  high  calling  to 
be  the  salt  of  the  earth.  This  is  secondary,  but  not  on 
that  account  of  little  importance.  It  is  secondary,  be- 
cause we  live  by  the  grace  of  our  Lord,  not  by  the  holi- 
ness of  our  lives,  which  is  an  effect  of  that  grace,  and 
because  others  are  brought  to  Jesus  by  the  Word  and 
Sacrament  which  are  given  us,  not  by  our  devices  and 
our  efforts.  But  our  lives  of  devoted  service  are  de- 
signed to  confirm  the  testimony  of  our  lips,  to  commend 


78  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

it  as  a  precious  gift  of  lieaven  for  man's  everlasting  wel- 
fare, and  thus  to  be  an  auxiliary  in  the  fulfillment  of  our 
mission  as  the  salt  of  the  earth.  The  Christian  life  is 
not  strictly  a  means  of  grace.  But  it  is  that  which  re- 
sults when  the  grace  offered  in  them  is  appropriated  by 
faith,  and  which  makes  the  believer  active  in  plying  these 
means,  privately  and  publicly,  that  the  grace  may  be 
offered  through  the  means  to  ever  increasing  multitudes. 
The  Lord  does  not  say  that  the  grace  and  truth  which 
saves  the  soul  and  which  has  made  the  believer  the  salt 
of  the  earth,  can  be  dispensed  with  when  once  a  body 
of  believers  has  been  gathered.  The  saved  sinner  can 
never  be  a  substitute  for  the  Gospel,  however  holy  his 
life  may  become.  That  alone  by  which  God  saved  him 
can  be  effectual  to  save  others.  His  zeal  may  and  should 
bring  the  Gospel  to  many  who  are  yet  in  darkness,  but 
it  is  God  alone  that  saves,  and  does  this  by  the  Word  and 
Sacraments  as  the  means  which  He  has  chosen  for  the 
purpose.  The  life  is  in  Christ,  and  only  from  His  fulness 
can  any  soul  receive  it.  "I  am  the  way  and  the  truth 
and  the  life;  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by 
me."  John  14,  6.  And  as  He  alone  has  this  life,  so  He 
imparts  it  only  by  His  Gospel,  which  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation.  "The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they 
are  spirit  and  they  are  life."  John  C,  63.  And  St.  Peter 
says:  "See  that  ye  love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart 
fervently,  being  born  again  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but 
of  incorruptible,  by  the  Word  of  God  which  liveth  and 
abideth  forever."  1  Pet.  1,  23.  Without  this  living  and 
life-giving  Word  no  man  is  turned  from  Satan  to  God. 
It  is  the  means  chosen  by  infinite  wisdom  to  do  His 
saving  work.  Nor  does  this  Word  derive  its  power  from 
the  holiness  of  converted  men:  it  is  the-  power  of  God, 
otherwise  there  would  be  no  converted  men.  Neither 
does  it  receive  any  addition  of  power  or  increase  of  effi- 
nacj  because  l^e  who  proclaims  it  is  a  believer  and  thus 


THE    HIGH   CALLING.  79 

belongs  to  the  salt  of  the  earth.  The  power  of  God  is 
capable  of  no  increase,  and  it  is  only  the  pride  of  man, 
which  lacks  salt,  that  suggests  the  vain  thought  that  any 
human  being,  lost  in  sin  and  saved  only  by  grace,  can 
contribute  anything  to  his  own  salvation  or  to  the  power 
of  the  Divine  Word  by  which  that  salvation  is  effected. 
Therefore  we  should  hear  the  Word  of  God  and  trust  its 
saving  power  even  if  the  ministers  declaring  it  are  them- 
selves not  obedient  to  its  heavenlj^  voice.  "The  scribes 
and  the  Pharisees  sit  in  Moses'  seat:  all  therefore  what- 
ever they  bid  you  observe,  that  observe  and  do;  but  do 
ye  not  after  their  works;  for  they  say,  and  do  not." 
Matt.  23,  2.  3.  In  no  case  is  it  the  preacher  who  is  the 
source  of  the  grace  and  the  life.  He  is  simply  the  bearer 
of  the  Word  in  which  is  life. 

And  yet  we  would  not  apprehend  the  complete  mean- 
ing of  our  Lord's  words  if  we  concluded  that  Christians 
are  declared  to  be  the  salt  of  the  earth  only  because  they 
are  agents  of  God  to  make  known  His  purifying  and  life- 
giving  Gospel.  That  is  indeed  the  heavenly  salt  that  pre- 
serves the  world  from  utter  putrefaction  and  otherwise 
inevitable  destruction;  and  they  undoubtedlj'  are  such 
beneficent  agents  of  our  gracious  Savior.  Without  con- 
troversy, this  is  a  high  and  glorious  calling.  But  the 
grace  that  has  made  them  this  has  made  them  more.  They 
themselves  are  endowed  with  the  unspeakable  treasures 
in  Christ  whicli  liy  the  Gospel  they  are  to  bear  to  others 
for  their  equal  enrichment.  By  faith  they  are  joined  in 
a  vital  union  with  Him  who  is  in  the  primary  and  proper 
sense  the  salt  of  the  eartli  and  from  wliom  all  its  restor- 
ing and  preserving  power  ])roceeds.  Believers  are  in  Him 
who  is  the  Savior  of  the  world,  and  they  rejoice  in  hope 
of  the  glory  which  is  His  and  which  ITe  sliares  with  His 
faithful  followers.  "I  am  crucified  with  Christ;  never- 
theless I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me;  and  the 
life  which  T  now  live  in  tlio  flesh,  I  live  bv  the  faith  of 


80  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me," 
Gal.  2.  20.  The  company  of  believers  is  one  body  with 
Him ;  "for  we  are  members  of  His  body,  of  His  flesh  and  of 
His  bones,"  Eph.  5,  30.  Therefore  grace  and  peace  is 
multiplied  to  the  members  of  His  Church,  "according  as 
His  divine  power  hath  given  unto  us  all  things  that  per- 
tain unto  life  and  godliness,  through  the  knowledge  of 
Him  who  hath  called  us  to  glory  and  virtue,  whereby  are 
given  unto  us  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises, 
that  by  these  ye  might  be  partakers  of  the  divine  nature, 
having  escaped  the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world 
through  lust,"  2  Pet.  1,  3.  4.  They  are  made  the  salt  of 
the  earth  by  receiving  from  the  fulness  of  His  grace  the 
heavenly  and  everlasting  life  which  makes  them  kings 
and  priests  unto  God  and  in  virtue  of  which  their  names 
are  written  in  heaven.  Hence  to  them,  not  to  the  unbe- 
lieving world,  are  the  means  of  grace  committed  for  ad- 
ministration, that  through  their  ministry  the  world  might 
receive  the  blessing  of  spiritual  life  and  eternal  salvation. 
Not  that  the  efficacy  of  the  Gospel  and  its  accompanying 
sacraments,  which  are  the  Lord^s  appointed  means  for 
the  conveyance  of  this  blessing,  is  in  any  sense  or  in  any 
measure  conditioned  by  the  godliness  of  those  who  are 
honored  with  the  call  to  administer  them.  The  Savior 
gives  us  assurance  of  salvation  through  the  promises  of 
the  Gospel,  and  it  is  an  impeachment  of  both  His  wisdom 
and  His  love  to  presume  that  He  has  put  it  in  the  power 
of  ministers  to  make  these  promises  of  none  effect  by 
their  unbelief.  It  must  never  be  overlooked  that  Christ 
is  Himself  the  source  of  all  spiritual  life  and  salvation, 
and  that  the  means  which  He  has  instituted  for  the  com- 
munication of  His  gracious  merit  and  power  owe  their 
saving  efficacy  to  Him  alone,  not  to  the  ministers  whom 
He  sends  to  dispense  them.  If  any  of  these  should  prove 
unfaithful,  that  would  not  deprive  the  divine  institution 
of  its  validity  or  render  the  truth  of  God  false  and  power- 


THE   HIGH   CALLING.  81 

less.  The  Lord  would  be  faitlifiil  still,  and  of  course  His 
Word  and  Sacrament  would  still  retain  their  heavenly 
liotency  and  accomplish  that  whereunto  He  sent  them.  But 
these  means  are  by  divine  ordinance  entrusted  to  Chris- 
tian believers,  and  they  by  the  possession  of  the  grace 
and  of  the  means  to  communicate  it  are  the  salt  of  the 
earth.  Tlieir  life  of  loving  sendee  under  the  direction  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  a  constant  rebuke  of  the  corruption 
that  is  in  the  world  and  a  standing  appeal  to  men  to 
coiue  to  Jesus  and  embrace  the  salvation  to  which  they 
bear  testimony  by  their  words  and  by  their  lives.  No 
doubt  many  a  community,  whose  offense  is  rank  and 
smells  to  heaven,  would  perish  from  the  earth  if  this 
salt  were  not  present  to  make  its  rescue  and  recovery 
possible,  and  if  God  in  His  good  providence  did  not  pre- 
serve it  for  the  purjx)se  of  giving  that  salt  the  oppor- 
tunity to  do  its  work  of  arresting  the  rottenness  and  sav- 
ing such  as  may  be  led  to  repentance.  Indeed,  it  is  ques- 
tionable whether  this  world,  after  Satan  had  made  it  hig 
realm  of  wickedness,  would  have  continued  to  exist  at 
all,  had  not  God  in  His  infinite  love  provided  a  Savior 
and  a  saved  people  to  be  the  salt  of  the  earth,  in  order 
to  rescue  it  from  destructicm  and  eventually  to  make  a 
new  earth  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness. 

The  disciples  of  Christ  would  not  be  faithful  to  their 
Lord  if  they  did  not  diligently  exert  the  grace  given  them 
for  His  service,  and  seek  to  fulfill  their  high  calling  as 
the  salt  of  the  eartli  by  strenuous  work  in  His  kingdom. 
Not  only  should  they  embrace  all  opportunities  given 
them  to  impart  the  Gospel  truth  to  their  neighbors  and 
associates  and  to  maintain  it  against  gainsayers,  but  by 
uniting  with  the  Cbristian  congregation  and  co-operat- 
ing with  brethren  of  the  same  faith  support  the  public 
ministry  of  the  Church  and  its  missions  and  works  of 
education  and  mercy.  In  this  all  should  engage  to  the 
extent  of  their  ability,  that  the  knowledge  of  Christ  and 


82  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

His  unsearchable  riches  might  he  spread  in  all  lands  and 
the  God  of  our  salvation  niiglit  be  glorilied  throughout 
the  eai'th.  The  redeemed  of  the  Lord  must  not  stand  all  the 
day  idle,  while  millions  around  them  are  perishing  and 
the  Master  calls  them  to  work.  It  is  true,  the  great  sal- 
vation in  the  Sou  of  God,  who  died  for  our  sins  and  rose 
again  for  our  justification,  is  a  gift  of  grace  and  can  not 
be  merited  by  our  labor  of  love  or  purchased  with  our 
money.  But  the  indolent  and  self-indulgent,  who  deport 
themselves  as  if  the  will  of  God  that  all  tlie  world  should 
be  saved,  did  not  concern  them,  sliould  see  to  it  that  on 
the  judgment  day  they  are  not  taken  at  their  idle  word 
and  pronounced  outside  of  the  gracious  sphere  of  that 
salvation  wiiich  they  foolislijiy  declared  to  be  none  of 
their  concern.  "Take  heed  what  ye  hear;  with  what 
measure  ye  mete  it  shall  be  measured  to  you,  and  unto 
you  that  hear  shall  more  be  given.  For  he  that  hath,  to 
him  shall  be  given,  and  he  that  hath  not,  from  him  shall 
be  taken  even  that  which  he  hath,"  Mark  4,  24  .  25.  The 
Christian  who  employs  his  gifts  and  does  not  grow  weary 
in  well-doing  grows  stronger  day  by  day;  but  he  who  re- 
fuses to  exercise  his  gifts,  which  are  bestowed  for  the 
common  good,  will  lose  them  and  in  the  end  be  lost,  not 
because  he  did  not  do  enough  work  to  merit  salvation, 
which  lies  in  no  man's  power,  but  because  he  received 
the  grace  of  God  in  vain.  For  if  the  salt  have  lost  its 
savor,  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted? 

And  in  another  respect  the  Christian  should  be  mind- 
ful of  his  high  calling  as  the  salt  of  the  earth  and  make 
it  effective  in  his  life.  An  ungodly  walk  reflects  shame 
upon  the  cause  which  we  profess  as  followers  of  Christ; 
holiness  of  life,  corresponding  to  the  holy  calling  which 
we  have  received  as  children  of  God  through  faith  in  His 
name,  commends  the  Savior  to  our  fellow  men  as  worthy 
of  all  acceptation.  Our  good  works  have  no  merit  by 
which  our  own  sinful  souls  could '  be  saved,   much  less 


THE   HIGH   CALLING.  83 

<'ould  they  avail  for  the  salvation  of  others;  but  they  do 
call  attention  to  the  Gospel  with  its  proclamation  of  par- 
don and  peace,  and  to  the  Church  with  its  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses and  its  means  of  grace,  and  many  are  thus  induced 
to  hear  the  Word  of  God  and  then  by  its  power  to  believe 
the  truth  in  Jesus  and  inherit  the  promises.  And  when 
believers  engage  assiduously  in  the  proper  work  of  the 
Church,  which  is  the  publication  of  the  Gospel  and  the 
administration  of  the  Holy  Sacraments  in  all  the  world, 
their  activity  as  the  salt  of  the  earth  in  such  ministry, 
publicly  through  the  support  of  the  pastoral  ofiice  in  all 
its  varied  functions  and  privately  in  their  intercourse 
with  their  fellow  men  and  especially  with  their  associates 
in  the  Church,  they  will  manifest  themselves  as  a  salt 
in  the  community  whose  labor  will  result  in  arresting 
corruption  and  purifjdng  the  souls  with  which  it  is 
brought  into  contact.  "Therefore,  my  beloved  brethren, 
be  ye  steadfast,  unmovable,  always  abounding  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord,  forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  your  labor 
is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord,"  1  Cor.  15,  58.  Thus  will  the 
disciples  of  Christ  show  "all  good  fidelity,  that  they  may 
adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Savior  in  all  things," 
Tit.  2,  10. 

The  salt,  so  far  as  it  is  the  possession  of  believers, 
may  lose  its  saltness,  that  is,  while  the  preserving  and 
seasoning  power  of  divine  grace  remains  the  same,  the 
Christian  may  lose  the  saltness  which  the  Savior  had 
bestowed.  But  in  Him  the  saltness  remains.  Neither 
He  nor  the  salvation  which  He  effected  can  ever  lose  their 
power.  Of  His  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end,  and  His 
is  an  everlasting  salvation.  But  there  is  a  respect  in 
which  the  salt  may  lose  its  savor  and  become  unprofit- 
able. Though  all  the  saltness  comes  from  Him,  without 
whom  we  are  nothing  and  can  do  nothing.  He  does  not 
directly  refer  to  Himself  when  He  says  to  His  disciples, 
"Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth."    He  points  out  the  blessed- 


84  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

ness  and  the  high  calling  of  those  who  by  His  grace  hav« 
been  rescued  from  the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world. 
And  to  this  He  adds  the  warning :  "But  if  the  salt  have 
lost  its  savor,  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted?  It  is  thence- 
forth good  for  nothing  but  to  be  cast  out  and  trodden 
under  foot  of  men."  Christians  may  become  heedless  ol 
their  gracious  endowments  and  negligent  of  their  high 
calling,  losing  their  salt  by  failing  to  use  it  for  their  own 
seasoning  and  to  impart  it  to  others  for  their  spiritual 
benefit.  They  may  become  careless  in  the  use  of  the 
means  of  grace,  and  cease  to  meditate  on  those  glorious 
things  which  are  spoken  of  Christ  and  His  kingdom  and 
in  the  possession  of  which  they  once  found  their  chief  joy. 
They  may  grow  indifferent  to  the  heavenly  truth  of  which 
the  Savior  bears  witness  and  to  the  holiness  by  which 
believers  are  called  and  qualified  to  adorn  the  doctrine. 
They  may  gradually  abandon  the  application  of  the  salt 
to  their  own  hearts  and  lives  and,  neglecting  the  beauty 
and  the  blessedness  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  return  to 
the  beggarly  elements  of  the  world  that  lieth  in  wicked- 
ness. In  short,  believers  may  turn  away  from  their 
blessed  Savior  and  abandon  their  holy  calling;  they  may 
fall  from  grace  and  lose  their  saltness,  ceasing  thus  to  be- 
long to  the  blessed  company  who  are  the  salt  of  the  earth. 
"Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall," 
1  Cor.  10,  12.  "Watch  and  pray  that  ye  enter  not  into 
temptation;  the  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is 
weak,"  Matt.  26,  41.  The  salt  may  become  good  for  noth- 
ing, and  the  person  who  once  was  purified  may  return 
to  his  wallowing  in  the  mire  of  sin.  It  is  a  perilous  doc- 
trine, which  some  even  have  the  hardihood  to  preach  in 
their  churches,  but  which  Satan  instills  into  the  minds 
of  many  who  do  not  hear  it  publicly  proclaimed,  that 
when  a  person  has  once  become  a  believer  in  Christ  he 
can  never  return  to  the  service  of  Satan  and  be  eternally 
lost.     Such   opinions  beget  a   carnal   security   that  has 


THE    HIGH   CALLING.  85 

ruined  many  who  once  witnessed  a  good  confession.  "If 
after  they  have  escaped  the  pollutions  of  the  world 
through  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus 
Christ,  they  are  again  entangled  therein  and  overcome, 
the  latter  end  is  worse  with  them  than  the  beginning. 
For  it  had  been  better  for  them  not  to  have  known  the 
way  of  righteousness  than,  after  they  have  known  it,  to 
turn  from  the  holy  commandment  delivered  unto  them. 
But  it  is  happened  unto  them  according  to  the  true  prov- 
erb. The  dog  is  turned  to  his  own  vomit  again  and  the 
sow  that  was  washed  to  her  wallowing  in  the  mire,''  2 
Pet.  2,  20-22.  When  it  becomes  manifest  that  a  believer 
has  turned  his  back  upon  the  Savior  and  impenitently 
persists  in  his  sins,  the  Church,  loyally  and  earnestly  in- 
tent upon  preserving  its  own  purity  and  its  testimony  to 
the  truth  in  Jesus,  has  no  alternative  but  to  cast  out  the 
apostate  as  salt  that  has  lost  its  savor,  and  could  hence- 
forth be  only  an  element  of  deception  and  danger  in  the 
congregation. 

II.  "Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.  A  city  that  is 
set  on  a  hill  cannot  be  hid.  Neither  do  men  light  a  can- 
dle and  put  it  under  a  bushel,  but  on  a  candlestick,  and 
it  giveth  light  to  all  that  are  in  the  house.  Let  your 
light  so  shine  before  men  that  they  may  see  your  good 
works,  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

Upon  the  gloom  which  hangs  over  the  earth  a  glor- 
ious sun  has  arisen.  "The  people  that  walk  in  darkness 
have  seen  a  great  light;  they  that  dwell  in  the  land  of 
the  shadow  of  death,  upon  them  hath  the  light  shined." 
Isa,  9,  2.  Sin  brought  mental  and  moral  night  upon  the 
world,  in  which  men  grope  without  a  star  to  guide  them 
in  matters  pertaining  to  the  eternal  welfare  of  their 
souls.  But  the  promise  of  grace  and  salvation,  which 
God  gave  immediately  on  the  deadly  advent  of  sin,  is 
fulfilled,  and  the  King  bids  Zion  to  be  glad.  "Arise, 
shine,  for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is 


86  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

arisen  upon  thee.  For,  behold,  the  darkness  shall  cover 
the  earth  and  gross  darkness  the  people,  but  the  Lord 
shall  rise  upon  thee  and  His  glory  shall  be  seen  upon 
thee.  And  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thy  light  and 
kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy  rising."  Isa.  60,  1-3.  God 
has  gloriously  fullilled  His  gracious  promise,  and  the 
darkness  is  dispelled  by  the  Day  spring  from  on  high. 
When  Jesus  preached  to  the  people  the  great  light  was 
shining  on  earth;  and  when  by  its  brightness  disciples 
were  conducted  into  His  kingdom,  they  too  were  made 
shining  lights  to  illumine  the  world.  In  the  Savior  was 
life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men. 

Christ  is  Himself  the  light  of  the  world,  without 
whom  there  would  be  and  could  be  nothing  but  spiritual 
darkness.  If  God  had  not  "so  loved  the  world  that  He 
gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in 
Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life,"  dark- 
ness would  still  cover  the  earth  and  gross  darkness  the 
people.  Death  would  still  reign  in  a  world  of  gloom  if 
the  Savior  had  not  come.  He  is  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness that  hath  risen  with  healing  in  His  wings.  He  is 
the  Dayspring  from  on  high  that  hath  visited  us  to  give 
light  to  them  that  sit  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of 
death.  "I  am  the  light  of  the  world,"  He  tells  us;  "he 
that  followetli  me  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall 
have  the  light  of  life."  John  8,  12.  The  darkness  flees 
where  He  appears;  the  soul  is  full  of  light  when  He  en- 
ters. "As  long  as  I  am  in  the  world  I  am  the  light  of 
the  world,"  He  assures  us;  and  those  who  believe  His  as- 
surance and  receive  Him  by  faith  as  their  Savior,  see 
the  great  light  and  no  longer  walk  in  darkness  and 
travel  through  the  gloom  to  death.  How  pitiful  that  so 
many  turn  away  from  Him  when  He  comes  to  them,  and 
close  their  eyes  against  the  light  which  brightly  shines 
around  them  and  would  show  them  the  way  of  salvation. 
"Jesus  said  unto  them,  yet  a  little  while  is  the  light  with 


THE    HIGH   CALLING.  87 

you.  Walk  while  ye  have  the  light,  lest  darkness  come 
upon  you;  for  he  that  walketh  in  darkness  knoweth  not 
whithei-  he  jj;oeth.  While  ye  have  the  light,  believe  in 
the  light,  that  ye  may  be  children  of  light."  John  12, 
35.  36.  Alas,  it  was  then  as  it  is  now.  The  light  was 
disresiai-ded  by  the  multitude,  who  would  rather  sit  in 
the  darknesH  of  their  sin  than  to  humble  themselves  by 
confessing  their  iniquitj^  and  their  helplessness  and  ac- 
cepting deliverance  by  grace  alone.  "And  this  is  the 
condemnation  that  light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men 
loved  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds 
were  evil."  John  3,  19. 

Christ  is  the  light  of  the  world,  as  He  is  the  life. 
Whatever  knowledge  of  God  and  spiritual  things  was  in 
man  by  his  creation  after  the  image  of  God,  was  driven 
out  of  the  soul  by  the  entrance  of  sin,  and  there  could  be 
no  restoration  of  the  happj^  relation  which  existed  be- 
tween it  and  its  Maker  by  the  exertion  of  the  faculties 
that  sin  rendered  impotent  and  helpless.  The  effect  of 
man's  apostas}'  from  God  was  darkness  and  death.  He 
no  longer  knew  the  way  of  happiness  in  communion  with 
the  Father  of  lights,  and  he  had  no  s^Diritual  life  in  him 
to  walk  in  that  holy  way  if  any  glimmerings  of  it  should 
come  to  him.  The  wages  of  sin  is  death.  The  promised 
Savior  must  therefore,  if  help  was  to  be  afforded  in 
man's  forlorn  condition,  bring  life  to  the  lost  in  order  to 
bring  light  into  their  darkness.  This  was  accomplished 
by  the  Only  I^egotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and 
truth.  "In  Him  Avas  life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of 
men."  He  is  the  revelation  of  the  Father's  love,  who 
sent  His  Son  into  the  world,  not  to  condemn  the  world, 
but  that  the  world  through  Him  might  be  saved.  He 
brings  into  the  world  a  new  spiritual  life,  which  is  de- 
signed to  enter  the  soul  by  the  Holy  Spirit's  power 
through  faith  and  take  the  place  of  the  death  which 
reigns  through  sin.     And  that  dispels  the  darkness  and 


88  THE    SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

enables  us  to  see  the  goodness  of  our  God  and  the  great 
salvation  which  His  grace  has  prepared  for  our  ruined 
race.  "For  with  thee  is  the  fountain  of  life:  in  Thy  light 
shall  we  see  light."  Ps.  3G,  9.  The  life  came  in  the  in- 
carnate Son  of  God,  and  that  brought  light  into  the  sin- 
benighted  world.  "I  am  come  a  light  into  the  world, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  Me  should  not  abide  in  dark- 
ness."    John  12,  46. 

That  light  shines  in  the  world  through  the  Word 
which  is  preached,  and  which  is  written  for  our  learning 
by  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Holy  Scripture. 
Christ  is  no  longer  visibly  present  on  the  earth,  but  His 
power  is  still  exerted  in  the  words  which  He  spake  and 
still  speaks.  Through  that  His  life  is  imparted  and  His 
light  shines  now,  as  it  did  when  He  addressed  the  multi- 
tudes nearly  two  thousand  years  ago.  With  His  Word 
He  is  always  present,  though  we  see  Him  not,  according 
to  His  promise,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world."  His  enlightening  work  has  been  go- 
ing on  in  the  world  during  all  those  centuries  since  He 
died  for  our  sins  and  rose  again  for  our  justification. 
"The  words  which  I  speak  unto  you,"  He  says,  "they 
are  spirit  and  they  are  life."  They  are  so  always,  and 
the  life  has  always  remained  the  light  of  man.  In  our 
night  of  sin  we  know  nothing  of  God  and  His  thoughts 
and  intents  touching  our  present  life  and  our  future 
destiny.  What  little  our  observation  and  science  of  na- 
ture and  of  the  powers  and  operations  of  our  minds  re- 
veal to  us  of  Him  and  the  plan  and  purpose  of  His  gov- 
ernment, leaves  us  ignorant  of  our  mission  here  and  our 
condition  hereafter.  Whence  we  come  and  whither  we 
are  going  or,  assuming  that  some  knowledge  of  a  Creator 
and  His  eternal  power  and  Godhead  has  been  gathered 
from  the  things  that  are  made,  what  our  Maker  has 
placed  us  here  for  and  what  He  intends  to  do  with  us 
when  death  puts  an  end  to  our  career  on  earth,  we  do 


THE   HIGH   CALLING.  89 

not  know  and  have  no  natural  means  of  ascertaining. 
With  all  our  science  and  philosophy  the  earth  is  dark, 
and  in  regard  to  the  most  important  matters  of  our  life 
all  our  learning  leaves  us  in  the  dark.  God  alone  knows 
and  He  alone  can  tell  us  what  we  are  and  what  shall  be- 
come of  us.  The  light  must  come  from  heaven,  if  the 
darkness  of  earth  is  to  be  dispelled.  Even  the  sin  and 
death  that  are  matters  of  such  constant  and  sorrowful 
experience  to  us  all,  are  but  superficially  understood, 
and  in  the  main  are  raj'steries  that  we  strive  in  vain  to 
solve  and  about  which  our  philosophy  speculates  to  lit- 
tle purpose.  And  when  we  are  conscious  that  some- 
thing is  radically  wrong  with  us  and  we  are  unhappy, 
and  observe  that  this  unhappiness  is  the  common  lot, 
reason  knows  no  remedy,  and  all  its  devices  to  give  us 
rest  from  the  troubles  that  are  upon  us  have  proved 
utter  failures.  All  the  light  that  nature  gives  leaves  us 
in  the  dark  about  our  sinful  souls  and  their  relation  to 
the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  though  we  do  feel,  notwith- 
standing all  the  pride  of  sin,  that  we  are  dependent  and 
accountable  creatures.  We  need  light  in  this  darkness, 
and  God  is  good.  The  light  of  the  world  has  come.  He 
is  the  mighty  Savior  from  sin  and  death,  who  gives  us 
the  light  of  salvation.  "No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any 
time;  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Father,  He  hath  declared  Him."  John  1,  18.  He 
makes  known  to  us  the  will  of  God  and  the  way  of  es- 
cape from  sin  and  death,  and  at  the  same  time  and  by 
the  same  means  introduces  spiritual  life  and  light  into 
dead  souls  and  darkened  understandings.  Therefore  the 
Scriptures  speak  with  so  much  frequeucj^  and  so  much 
emphasis  of  the  grace  and  truth  in  Jesus.  By  His  grace 
we  are  to  know  the  truth  unto  salvation,  and  of  that 
heavenly  truth  He  is  the  embodiment  and  witness.  To 
a  question  of  Pilate  He  answered:  "Thou  sayest  that  I 
am  a  king.     To  this  end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause 


90  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  shouUl  bear  witness  unto 
the  truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  My 
voice."  John  18,  37.  His  light  shines  into  our  hearts 
when  we  receive  that  witness  by  the  Gospel.  This  is  His 
gracious  means  of  communicating  the  light  of  life. 
"Then  said  Jesus  to  those  Jews  which  believed  on  Him, 
If  ye  continue  in  my  Word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples  in- 
deed, and  ye  Fhall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free."  John  8,  31.  32.  The  Word  of  God, 
which  embodies  and  sets  forth  the  truth  unto  salvation, 
brings  to  men  the  life  and  the  light  which  is  in  Christ 
alone,  and  preserves  them  unto  salvation  by  keeping 
them  in  union  with  the  Savior  by  faith.  Hence  He  prays 
to  the  Father:  "Sanctify  them  through  Thy  truth;  Thy 
Word  is  truth."    John  17,  17. 

But  our  Lord  speaks  not  only  of  Himself,  who  is  the 
way  and  the  truth  and  the  life,  as  the  light  of  the  world 
that  illumines  its  darkness.  He  is  the  source  of  that 
light,  but  He  speaks  also  of  His  disciples  as  witnesses  of 
the  saving  truth  and  bearers  of  the  heavenly  light.  Those 
who  by  His  grace  are  brought  to  believe  in  Him  as  their 
Lord  and  Savior,  are  themselves  called  the  light  of  the 
world,  though  they  are  entirely  dependent  upon  the  orig- 
inal light  as  it  emanates  from  the  Son  of  God.  This  is 
primarily  because  the  same  quickening  and  illuminating 
Word  which  He  employed  is  also  given  them;  and  this 
always  has  in  it  and  exerts  the  same  enlightening  power, 
whoever  may  be  its  bearer.  "Men  and  brethren,  children 
of  the  stock  of  Abraham,  and  whosoever  among  you  fear- 
eth  God,  to  you  is  the  Word  of  this  salvation  sent."  Acts 
13,  26.  And  those  who  receive  it,  receive  at  the  same  time 
the  commission  to  spread  it  abroad  for  the  benefit  of 
others,  who  shall  also  be  partakers  of  the  life  and  the 
light  which  it  conveys.  The  Word  is  the  Lord's  chosen 
means  of  accomplishing  His  will  and  doing  His  work, 
and  it  always  exerts  this  saving  power,   whether  He 


THE   HIGH    CALLING.  91 

speaks  it  in  His  own  person  or  through  the  agency  of  His 
disciples.  It  is  the  same  Word  of  God,  which  is  quick 
and  powerful,  and  of  course  has  the  same  authority 
and  efficacy.  Therefore  the  liglit  of  the  world  shines 
and  vivifies  wherever  the  Gospel  of  our  Savior's  grace 
and  truth  is  proclaimed,  though  the  minister  who 
proclaims  it  be  in  himself  weak  and  powerless.  "As 
Thou  hast  sent  Me  into  the  world,"  says  the  Son  of 
God,  "even  so  have  I  sent  them  into  the  world.  And  for 
their  sakes  I  sanctify  Myself,  that  they  also  may  be  sanc- 
tified through  the  truth.  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone, 
but  for  them  also  who  shall  believe  on  Me  through  their 
Word."  John  17, 18-20.  Their  Word  is  the  same  which  the 
Savior  speaks  and  therefore  communicates  the  same  life 
and  light,  and  works  the  same  saving  faith.  The  Light 
of  the  world  enlightens  believers  by  His  Word,  and  these 
again  become  the  light  of  the  world  to  enlighten  others  by 
the  same  quick  and  powerful  Word.  "For  this  cause  also 
thank  we  God  without  ceasing,  because  when  ye  received 
the  Word  of  God  which  ye  heard  of  us,  ye  received  it  not  as 
the  word  of  men,  but  as  it  is  in  truth,  the  Word  of 
God,  which  effectually  worketh  in  you  that  believe."  1 
Thess.  2,  13. 

Christians  thus  have  the  heavenly  grace  and  the  high 
calling  to  shine  as  lights  in  the  world.  "A  city  that  is  set 
on  a  hill  cannot  be  hid.  Neither  do  men  light  a  candle  and 
put  it  under  a  bushel,  but  on  a  candlestick,  and  it  giveth 
light  to  all  that  are  in  the  house."  Although  the  faith 
which  makes  us  Christians  is  in  its  nature  as  a  spiritual 
treasure  of  the  heart,  into  which  no  human  eye  can  see, 
invisible  to  men,  and  although  the  kingdom  of  God,  which 
is  the  company  of  believers  throughout  the  world,  is  consti- 
tuted by  the  faith  Avliich  is  invisible  and  therefore  in  its 
essence  not  an  object  of  siglit,  yet  in  the  calling  which  all 
believers  have  to  show  forth  the  praises  of  Him  who  hath 
called  us  from  darkness  to  His  nuirvelous  light,  thev  be- 


92  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

come  manifest  by  letting  their  light  shine.  Faith  works 
by  love,  and  therefore,  faith  without  works  is  dead.  Every 
true  Christian  believer  is  a  servant  of  the  Lord  to  do  His 
will,  and  as  this  will  is  principally  that  men  should  be 
saved  and  God  be  glorified,  which  is  done  by  publishing 
the  Gospel  and  administering  the  Sacraments,  the  com- 
pany of  believers  is  like  a  city  set  on  a  hill  which  cannot 
be  hidden  from  the  surrouning  country.  Those  who  do 
nothing  to  make  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  known 
will  soon  be  themselves  impoverished.  A  living  church 
will  show  its  faith  by  its  works;  a  church  that  shows  no 
signs  of  life  in  the  effort,  however  feeble  and  faulty  this 
may  be,  to  fulfill  the  high  calling  of  Christ's  followers,  is 
dead.  The  light  which  fails  to  shine  has  gone  out.  Even 
infidels,  though  they  know  nothing  of  the  spiritual  treas- 
ures which  true  believers  possess  in  their  hearts,  must 
recognize  the  Church  in  its  external  manifestation  as  a 
presence  and  a  power  on  earth.  By  the  work  which  the 
Lord  has  given  it  to  do  and  His  blessing  upon  it,  who  is 
Himself  present  always  with  His  power,  it  occupies  a  con- 
spicuous position  in  the  world,  and  no  one  can  live  in  a 
Christian  land  or  acquaint  himself  with  the  world's  his- 
tory without  seeing  it  as  a  city  set  on  a  hill. 

It  is  not  reasonable  that  a  candle  should  be  lighted  and 
then  placed  under  a  bushel  to  conceal  it,  instead  of  being 
put  on  a  candlestick  to  give  light  to  the  house.  Christians 
can  oifer  no  rational  excuse  for  the  indolence  which  dis- 
graces many  an  individual  and  many  a  congregation  that 
professes  adherence  to  the  Redeemer's  cause  and  to  be 
entitled  to  a  place  among  those  whom  He  honors  by  say- 
ing, "Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world."  Surely  He  has  not 
endowed  us  with  heavenly  light,  and  capacitated  us  to 
give  light  to  others,  for  the  purpose  of  bearing  the  name 
of  disciples,  without  the  deeds  which  give  that  name  a 
meaning  in  the  community ;  surely  He  has  not  called  us  to 
make  pretences  which  we  do  nothing  to  substantiate  and 


THE   HIGH   CALLING.  93 

make  good.  He  wants  no  drones  and  no  hypocrites;  and 
when  He  calls  us  as  lights,  and  endues  us  with  power  from 
on  high  to  be  what  He  designates  us,  His  blessing  cannot 
remain  upon  us  if  we  wantonly  bury  our  gifts  and  neglect 
our  vocation.  When  He  makes  us  lights,  it  is  that  our 
light  may  shine.  Refusing  to  do  this  is  the  sure  way  to 
sink  back  into  the  darkness  from  which  the  Light  of  the 
world  desired  to  deliver  us. 

Therefore  the  admonition  is  given  us:  "Let  your 
light  so  shine  before  men  that  they  may  see  your  good 
Avorks  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  In 
view  of  human  infirmity,  even  in  those  who  are  sincere  in 
their  desire  to  fulfill  their  heavenly  calling,  it  is  a  neces- 
sary admonition.  At  best  ours  is  a  feeble  service  of  the 
Lord  that  bought  us  that  we  might  be  His  and  live  under 
Him  in  His  kingdom,  henceforth  not  living  unto  our- 
selves; the  Spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak. 
But  if  we  neglect  the  Holy  Spirit's  exhortations  and  mo- 
tions in  our  hearts,  how  shamefully  ungrateful  and  dan- 
gerously thoughtless  our  conduct  is,  must  be  apparent. 
If  we  will  not  heed  the  admonition  which  the  loving 
care  of  our  Lord  for  the  souls  which  He  purchased  with 
His  blood  has  given,  the  consequences  will  be  our  own 
eternal  loss. 

It  is  perhaps  not  necessary,  in  view^  of  the  oft-repeated 
inculcation  of  humility,  to  mention  that  the  command  to, 
let  our  light  shine  before  men  does  not  mean  that  Christ 
tians  should  make  a  public  display  of  their  efforts  andl 
achievements  for  the  advancement  of  Christ's  kingdomj 
and  make  a  boast  of  their  success  in  accomplishing  our' 
Heavenly  Father's  will.  The  lowliness  of  mind  which 
characterizes  the  sincerely  penitent  believer  forbids  the 
thought  of  doing  our  good  Avorks  as  much  as  possible  in 
the  sight  of  men  and  impressing  them  as  good  and  great 
on  the  minds  of  the  people;  and  the  instruction  expressly 
given  to  shun  the  ways  of  the  hypocrites,  who  do  their 


94  THE   SEIIMOX    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

aims  before  men  to  be  seen  of  them,  who  love  to  pray 
standing  in   the  synagogues  and   corners  of  the  streets 
that  they  may  be  seen  of  men,  and  who  disfigure  their 
faces  that  they  may  appear  unto  men  to  fast,  mal^e  it 
evident  that  all  alleged  good  works  done  to  attract  public 
attention  and  solicit  people's  praise,  are  not  in  accordance 
with   our  Heavenly   Father's  will,   and   all   glowing  ac- 
counts of  them  in  public  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring 
glory  for  those  who  perform"  them,  is  vainglorious  vaunt- 
^     ing  that  defeats  the  divine  purpose  of  our  high  calling. 
:  There  is  glory  in  doing  the  work  which  God  has  assigned 
;  to  us  as  a  manifestation  of  the  Light  of  the  world;  but 
:  Christians  have  ample  means  of  knowing  that  this  glory 
i  belongs  to  Him  "who  hath  made  us  meet  to  be  partakers 
of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light,  who  hath  deliv- 
ered us  from  the  power  of  darkness  and  hath  translated 
us  into  the  kingdom  of  His  dear  Son."    Col.  1,  12.  13.    The 
glory  of  the  good  which  we  do  is  not  ours,  and  all  human 
activity  whose  aim  is  to  secure  honor  before  men  is  by  that 
very  purpose  vitiated  and  by  its  selfishness  rendered  un- 
worthy of  honor.     "Take  heed  that  ye  do  not  your  alms 
before  men,  to  be  seen  of  them,  otherv\dse  ye  have  no  re- 
ward of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven."    But  this  con- 
flicts not  in  the  least  with  the  command :     Let  your  light 
shine  before  men.     That  is  necessary  to  fulfill  the  high 
calling  which  Christ  has  given  believers  on  earth.     They 
would  not  be  faithful,  if  they  were  not  zealous  of  good 
works  to  execute  the  Master's  will;  they  would  not  be 
lights  if  they  did  not  shine.    But  it  is  not  their  o^ti  glory 
that  the  Lord  teaches  them  to  seek  and  that  the  Spirit 
in  their  hearts  moves  them  to  seek.     Our  light  is  to  shine 
before  men,  so  to  shine  that  they  may  see  our  good  works, 
our  testimony  before  the  world  thus  being  made  clear  and 
effective ;  but  it  is  that  men  "may  see  your  g^od  works  and 
glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven."     Not  our  glory, 
who  of  ourselves  are  nothing  and  without  Christ  can  do 


THE    HIGH   CALLING.  95 

nothing,  but  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  who  is  all  in  all,  must 
be  our  aim,  and  to  this  all  our  efforts  must  be  directed. 
We  have  a  high  calling  to  fulfill,  and  must  not  be  idlers. 
Our  light  must  shine,  but  not  to  win  human  applause. 
All  i)raise  belongs  to  God  alone.  "Whatsoever  ye  do,  in 
word  or  deed,  do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giv- 
ing thanks  to  God  and  the  Father  by  Him."  Col.  3,  17. 
"Whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God." 

No  doubt  our  Lord,  when  He  admonishes  us  to 
let  our  light  shine  before  men,  has  chiefly  in  mind  the 
Gospel  of  His  grace,  by  which  He  lets  His  light  of  salva- 
tion shine  in  our  hearts  and  by  the  promulgation  of 
which  His  disciples  shine  as  the  light  of  the  world.  The 
principal  good  work  that  we  are  to  do  on  earth  is  to 
bear  the  good  tidings  of  salvation  to  all  people,  and  thus 
rescue  from  the  ruin  which  sin  has  wrought  as  many  as 
may  be  led  to  receive  the  world's  Savior.  Of  the  things 
that  men  are  called  to  do  on  earth  this  is  the  chief,  that 
they  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  confess  Him 
before  the  world.  If  this  is  not  done,  though  riches  and 
honors  and  pleasures  have  been  multiplied,  efforts  are 
put  forth  in  vain,  labor  has  been  lost  and  life  is  a  fail- 
ure. "Then  said  they  unto  Him,  What  shall  we  do  that 
Ave  might  work  the  works  of  God?  Jesus  answered  and 
said  unto  them,  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye  believe 
in  Him  wiiom  He  hath  sent"  John  6,  28.  29.  It  is  un- 
questionably true  that  faith  is  the  gift  of  God  and  that 
it  is  accordingly  the  work  of  God  in  the  believer.  "Faith 
Cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  Word  of  God." 
]^)m.  10,  17.  But  that  is  not  what  our  Lord,  in  answer 
to  the  question  as  to  what  we  shall  do  to  work  the  works 
of  God,  designed  to  inculcate  and  impress  on  our  minds. 
What  we  shall  do  is  to  believe  in  the  Savior  sent  us,  that 
we  may  be  delivered  from  the  wrath  to  come.  That  is 
our  chief  work,  without  which  all  others  would  be  of 
no  eternal  account.     "For  what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he 


96  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul." 
Matt.  16,  26.  Everything  is  lost  if  the  soul  is  lost;  and 
believing  in  Jesus  is  the  only  way  in  which  the  soul  can 
be  saved.  That  must  therefore  ever  remain  the  chief 
thing  to  be  done,  without  which  all  emphasizing  of  other 
works  as  supremely  important  is  only  a  manifestation 
of  human  blindness  and  folly.  "Jesus  came  into  Galilee 
preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  say- 
ing, The  time  is  fulfilled  and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at 
hand;  repent  je  and  believe  the  Gospel."  Mark  1,  14. 
15.  This  was  the  great  commission  given  to  His  dis- 
ciples: "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized 
shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
damned."  Mark  16,  15.  16.  This  is  not  only  the  import 
and  purpose  of  all  Christ's  preaching,  but  of  all  Scrip- 
ture as  well.  "These  are  written  that  ye  might  believe 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  that  believ- 
ing ye  might  have  life  through  His  name."    John  20,  31. 

Manifestly  the  great  work  which  by  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  we  are  to  do  in  the  world  is  to  believe  in 
Christ  unto  the  saving  of  our  sinful  souls,  then  let  the 
light  which  we  have  received  shine  for  the  enlighten- 
ment of  others  who  sit  in  the  darkness  out  of  which  we 
have  been  called.  The  work  of  God  that  we  are  to  do  is 
to  believe  in  the  Savior  and  confess  Him  before  men. 
This  is  our  high  calling,  and  our  great  work  is  its  fulfil- 
ment. It  is  vain  to  speak  of  doing  the  will  of  the  Lord 
when  we  neither  believe  in  Christ  ourselves  nor  exert 
our  powers  to  lead  our  fellowmen  to  such  faith,  through 
which  alone  sinners  can  be  saved.  Let  your  light  shine 
before  men  to  their  salvation  and  the  Savior's  glory. 
Then  you  will  live  to  some  pui'pose  in  the  world  and  His 
blessing  will  be  upon  you  in  time  and  in-  eternity. 

Of  course  during  our  sojourn  in  this  world  of  sin  and 
consequent  woe  the  love  by  which  faith  works  will  find 


THE   HIGH   CALLING.  97 

much  to  do  for  the  alleviation  of  suffering  and  ministra- 
tion of  comfort,  besides  attending  to  the  immediate 
duties  of  our  temporal  vocation,  to  which,  in  the  order 
of  God's  providence,  is  so  intimately  related  the  re- 
ception of  our  daily  bread.  In  all  these  things  we  should 
let  our  light  shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  our 
good  works  and  glorify  our  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
Sin  has  brought  disorder  and  suffering  that  appeal  for 
relief  and  wrongs  that  cry  to  be  righted.  We  meet  them 
everywhere  along  our  path,  even  if  our  circumstances  be 
so  favorable  that  we  never  see  the  worst.  The  poor  we 
have  always  with  us  and  the  afflicted  and  forsaken  and 
helpless  are  found  in  every  community.  Opportunities 
for  the  exercise  of  that  mercy  which  the  grace  of  our  Sa- 
vior creates  in  believing  hearts  are  never  wanting.  And 
Christians  are  always  ready  to  embrace  them.  The  Lord 
has  made  them  lights  in  the  world;  and  if  some  shine 
but  dimly  and  some  are  so  negligent  in  supplying  them- 
selves with  oil  that  their  lamps  go  out  and  they  finally 
lose  their  way  in  the  darkness,  there  is  always  a  goodly 
number  that  is  zealous  in  good  works  and  faithfully 
serve  the  Maker  in  ministering  to  the  needy  and  observ- 
ing all  things  whatsoever  He  has  commanded  them. 
The  entire  history  of  the  Church  is  a  bright  record  of 
their  deeds  of  love  and  their  institutions  of  mercy.  They 
who  are  themselves  believers  and  thus  lights  of  the 
world,  have  the  command  and  the  motive  to  let  their 
light  shine  also  in  their  works  of  charity;  for  "this  com- 
mandment have  we  from  Him,  that  he  who  loveth  God' 
love  his  brother  also."  1  John  4,  21.  When  the  gi'ace  and 
truth  of  the  Lord  have  brought  souls  into  fellowship- 
with  Him  and  led  them  to  appreciate  the  great  salvation 
with  which  He  has  blessed  them,  so  that  they  engage 
cordially  in  the  proper  work  of  His  kingdom,  which  is 
the  saving  of  the  soul,  they  will  not  be  negligent  of  the 
subsidiary  work  of  counteracting  and  so  far  as  possible 

7 


98  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

overcoming  the  temporal  results  of  sin  in  suffering  h^u- 
manity  by  labors  of  love.  In  all  dii'tections  and  every 
sphere  of  life  they  will  be  ready  to  let  their  light  shine 
before  men,  that  the  good  will  of  God  may  be  done  and 
His  name  may  be  praised. 

Headers  who  are  desirous  of  knowing  the  mind  of 
Christ  and  doing  His  will  are  not  likely  to  overlook  the 
design  of  letting  our  light  shine  before  men.  This  is  of 
course  not  to  win  their  applause  and  to  secure  the  honor 
for  ourselves  which  belongs  to  God.  "Unto  Him  who  is 
able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or 
think,  according  to  the  power  that  worketh  in  us,  unto 
Him  be  glory  in  the  Church  by  Christ  Jesus  throughout 
all  ages,  world  without  end."  Eph.  3,  20.  21.  The  glory 
of  every  good  work  belongs  to  God  only,  for  He  is  the 
fountain  of  all  good,  the  source  of  every  blessing.  "Do 
not  err,  my  beloved  brethren.  Every  good  gift  and  every 
perfect  gift  is  from  above,  and  cometh  down  from  the 
Father  of  Lights,  with  whom  is  no  variableness  nor  shad- 
ow of  turning."  Jas.  1,  17.  Therefore  our  Lord  com- 
mands us  to  let  our  light  shine  before  men  with  the  dis- 
tinct purpose  "that  they,  seeing  our  good  works,  may 
glorify  our  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  There  are  many 
works  done  which  the  world  calls  good,  but  which  are 
far  from  accomplishing  this  good  purpose.  Men  become 
the  light  of  the  world  only  when  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  has  brought  us  into  harmony  with  Himself, 
so  that  our  will  freely  conforms  to  His  good  will,  so  that 
we  live  in  Him  and  are  directed  by  His  will  as  revealed 
in  His  Word.  "For  I  through  the  law  am  dead  to  the 
law,  that  I  might  live  unto  God.  I  am  crucified  with 
Christ:  nevertheless  I  live;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in 
me;  and  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh  I  live  by  the 
faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me  and  gave  Himself 
for  me."  Gal.  2,  20.  No  work  can  be  good  if  the  doer  is 
not  in  accord  with  Him.     It  is  the  very  essence  of  sin  to 


THE    HIGH   CALLING.  99 

put  one's  self  in  the  place  of  God  and  live  unto  self.  To 
the  natural  man  it  will  seem  unreasonable  to  say  that  a 
work  is  not  good,  though  it  confers  a  benefit,  because  it 
is  not  done  in  the  Savior's  name  and  does  not  give  the 
glory  to  God.  It  cannot  be  otherwise,  because  the  nat- 
ural man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 
But  the  Christian  believer  walks  in  the  light  and  sees 
why  his  good  works  must  be  recognized  as  fruits  of  his 
faith,  that  our  Father  which  is  in  heaven  may  have  the 
glory  of  them.  Mere  imitations  of  their  fruits,  in  external 
acts  without  the  spiritual  life  which  honors  God,  count 
for  nothing.  Such  imitations  are  not  only  possible,  but 
they  are  plentiful;  and  where  the  chief  work  of  those  who 
are  the  light  of  the  world  is  not  recognized  as  that  of  be- 
lieving in  Christ  and  laboring  by  the  employment  of  the 
means  of  grace  to  have  others  believe  in  Him,  they  are 
likely  to  abound  even  among  Christians.  The  reason  is 
not  far  to  seek.  We  are  fallen  creatures  and  sin  has 
blinded  us.  But  we  were  created  in  the  image  of  God, 
and  the  design  of  our  Creator,  that  we  should  live  in 
righteousness  and  true  holiness,  remains  the  same  not- 
withstanding the  fall.  God  still  holds  us  to  that  creative 
design;  for  He  has  not  changed,  though  we  have  turned 
away  from  Him  and  lost  the  most  precious  endowment 
of  our  nature.  And  in  our  nature  there  is  still  a  rem- 
iniscence of  the  lost  image  in  the  power  called  conscience, 
to  which  the  divine  law  makes  its  appeal  and  in  virtue  of 
which  the  divine  will  is  felt  to  be  eternally  binding. 
Thus  we  are  moral  beings  who  feel  their  moral  respon- 
sibility, but  who  are  not  at  rest,  because  the  righteous- 
ness and  true  holiness,  in  which  and  for  which  we  were 
created,  are  lacking.  We  are  held  to  the  right,  but  we 
have  gone  wrong.  There  is  no  help  for  us  in  this  moral 
wreck  but  in  the  redemption  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  the 
Savior  of  the  world,  who  bids  us  come  to  Him  that  we 
may  find  rest  for  our  souls.    Conscience  rebukes  our  sin 


100  THE   SERMON   ON   THE   MOUNT. 

but  it  cannot  change  our  sinful  hearts.  That  in  this  for- 
lorn condition  reason  should  strive  to  relieve  the  soul's 
unrest  by  endeavors  to  do  the  right  and  the  good  as  it  is 
able  to  see  it  in  the  darkness  that  is  upon  us,  is  natural. 
Hence  come  the  humanitarian  schemes  and  forces  which 
so  abound  in  the  world  and  hence  the  multitudinous  imi- 
tations, in  external  deeds,  of  the  good  works  which  are 
the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  They  are  efforts  of  nature  to 
seem  good  and  thus  at  once  to  quiet  conscience  and  secure 
the  applause  of  men.  With  those  who  are  the  light  of  the 
world  all  things  have  become  new.  They  are  God's 
workmanship,  "created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works, 
which  God  hath  before  ordained  that  we  should  walk  in 
them."  Eph.  2,  10.  Only  thus  can  we  be  the  light  of  the 
world  and  obey  the  mandate:  "Let  your  light  so  shine 
before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good  works  and 
glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

Our  glorying  is  not  good  if  we  boast  of  our  high  pre- 
rogatives as  the  children  of  God,  but  forget  our  high  call- 
ing and  remain  at  ease  in  Zion.  The  kingdom  of  Christ  is 
waging  an  unceasing  warfare  against  sin  and  Satan,  with 
all  their  soul-destroying  deceitfulness  and  malice,  and  is 
engaged  in  persistent  work  to  overcome  the  darkness  and 
death  which  they  have  brought  into  the  world  and  are 
exerting  all  their  energies  to  perpetuate.  The  children 
of  the  kingdom  have  the  mission  to  let  their  light  shine 
into  this  darkness  and  to  rescue  from  this  death  the  suf- 
fering souls  for  whom  Christ  died.  And  He  is  present 
with  them  every  day,  cheering  them  on  to  fight  the  good 
fight  of  faith  and  to  labor  while  it  is  day  under  His 
mighty  leadership,  to  whom  all  power  is  given  in  heaven 
and  on  earth.  He  has  promised  them  the  victory,  and 
they  have  nothing  to  fear  while  He  abides  with  them, 
which  shall  be  until  the  end  of  the  world.  "For  this  pur- 
pose the  Son  of  God  was  manifested,  that  He  should  de- 
stroy the  works  of  the  devil,"  John  3,  8.     They  are  safe 


THE   HIGH   CALLING.  101 

against  His  wiles  and  His  power,  if  they  will  only  trust 
the  Master  and  go  forth  in  His  name  to  the  war  and  the 
work.  "These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,"  He  tells 
us,  "that  in  me  ye  might  have  peace.  In  the  world  ye 
shall  have  tribulation ;  but  be  of  good  cheer,  I  have  over- 
come the  world,"  John  10,  33.  Shall  we  be  content  with 
a  mere  nominal  membership  in  His  kingdom  and  hide 
our  light  under  a  bushel,  while  gross  darkness  still  covers 
millions  and  the  little  flock  of  our  Savior  is  grieved  at 
our  faint-heartedness  and  lazy  self-indulgence?  Kemem- 
ber  your  high  calling  and  the  blessings  which  its  fulfil- 
ment brings  to  men,  and  let  the  Master's  gracious  prom- 
ise encourage  you :  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I 
will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life,"  Rev.  2,  11. 


SECTION  IV. 

The  Better  Righteousness* 

(Matthew  5,  17-20). 

^^^HE  sermon  on  the  mount  presented  to  the  people, 
^L  whose  only  education  centered  in  the  Mosaic  law, 
a  strange  doctrine.  Was  all  that  education,  con- 
tinued through  centuries,  to  go  for  nothing?  The  long 
period  of  preparation  for  the  advent  of  the  promised  Mes- 
siah and  the  establishment  of  His  kingdom  of  righteous- 
ness and  salvation,  was  now  reaching  its  end.  The  sub- 
stance had  come  and  the  shadows  were  passing  away.  The 
people  had  heard  the  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness :  "Ke- 
pent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand;"  and  Jesus 
went  about  all  Galilee,  "teaching  in  their  synagogues  and 
preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom."  What  was  spoken 
by  the  prophet  was  fulfilled:  "The  people  which  sat  in 
darkness  saw  a  great  light,  and  to  them  which  sat  in  the 
region  and  shadow  of  death  light  is  sprung  up,"  Matt. 
4,  16.  Some  believed,  but  many  were  bewildered,  and 
many  were  enraged  against  Him  who  so  openly  and  so 
sharply  rebuked  the  sins  not  only  of  the  rabble,  but  of 
the  very  men  who  were  honored  as  the  religious  leaders 
and  teachers  of  the  Jewish  people.  Would  this  man,  so 
lowly  in  His  bearing  but  so  unsparing  in  His  utterance, 
who  claimed  to  be  the  Son  of  God  and  the  long-expected 
King  who  should  sit  upon  David's  throne,  overthrow  all 
the  venerated  institutions  of  Moses  and  introduce  a  new 
religion  of  which  Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob  knew 
nothing?  Would  He  establish  a  kingdom,  totally  differ- 
ent from  that  which  was  promised  to  their  fathers  and 
which  should  make  Israel  great  among  the  nations?  They 

102 


THE   BETTER   RIGHTEOUSNESS.  103 

needed  instruction  concerning  these  things,  and  the  great 
Teacher  was  among  them  to  give  them  light. 

1.  "Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law 
and  the  prophets:  I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  ful- 
fill, l^or  verily  I  say  unto  you.  Till  heaven  and  earth 
pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the 
law  till  all  be  fulfilled." 

They  should  be  assured  that  the  Son  of  God  did  not 
come  to  set  aside  the  promises  given  through  the  prophets 
of  old  and  recorded  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  to  abro- 
gate the  thoughts  of  peace  made  known  to  the  fathers  from 
the  beginning.  The  Gospel  announced  in  Paradise  imme- 
diately after  the  fall,  and  continued  with  ever  increasing 
clearness  by  the  types  and  ceremonies  and  prophecies  of 
the  old  dispensation,  were  all  designed  to  prepare  the  way 
for  the  coming  of  the  Savior  and  the  inauguration  of  His 
kingdom  of  grace  and  peace  on  earth,  and  could  not  be 
ignored  or  slighted.  The  positive  declaration  is  then  made 
that  the  very  purpose  of  His  coming  is  to  fulfill  the  design 
of  all  God's  institutions  and  ordinances  and  promises,  not 
to  destroy  them.  Finally  the  assurance  is  given  that  the 
law  shall  stand  while  heaven  and  earth  endure. 

It  may  be  helpful  to  the  reader,  for  the  better  under- 
standing of  our  Lord's  statements  regarding  the  law,  to 
remind  him  of  some  instruction  given  on  the  subject  in 
other  places  of  Holy  Scripture.  The  law  is  a  revelation 
of  God's  holiness  to  man,  requiring  him  to  be  holy  in 
heart  and  life  as  his  INIaker  and  sovereign  Lord  is  holy. 
The  violation  of  that  holy  law  is  sin.  This  is  rebellion 
against  God,  and  a  jjroud  and  presumptuous  assertion 
of  human  independence,  which  is  of  necessity  an  abom- 
ination to  God,  whom  it  attempts  to  dethrone,  and  brings 
a  curse  upon  the  guilty,  whose  wicked  self-will  cannot  be 
permitted  to  triumph  over  the  Maker  and  Ruler  of  the 
universe.  It  was  not  unkind,  and  least  of  all  was  it  un- 
just, to  make  such  righteous  demands  upon  a  creature 


104  THE   SERMON   ON   THE   MOUNT. 

that  was  made  in  righteousness  and  designed  for  hap- 
piness under  the  universal  reign  of  righteousness.  Man 
rebelled  and  became  the  enemy  of  God  by  wicked  works, 
and  the  Creator's  holy  government  could  be  maintained 
only  by  visiting  upon  rebellion  its  inevitable  conse- 
quences. The  wages  of  sin  is  death.  Losing  his  original 
holiness  and  blessedness  and  lying  under  condemna- 
tion in  his  lost  estate,  the  being  so  highly  endowed 
and  designed  for  so  noble  a  career,  became  inca- 
pable of  fulfilling  his  mission  or  regaining  his  high  po- 
sition, and  in  his  helplessness  no  prospect  of  relief  from 
his  misery  appeared.  "O  wretched  man  that  I  am!  Who 
shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death?"  Rom.  7, 
24.  The  holy  will  of  God  of  course  remained  the  same 
when  man  became  unholy  and  wretched  and  spiritually 
impotent.  The  law,  in  obedience  to  which  he  might  have 
remained  holy  and  happy  as  God  had  created  him,  can- 
not help  him  now.  It  condemns  him  as  a  transgressor, 
the  wages  of  whose  sin  it  declares  to  be  death.  In  the 
nature  of  things  it  cannot  save  him,  though  the  foolish 
thought  enters  the  heart  of  millions,  that  if  they  would 
only  make  up  their  minds  to  abandon  their  evil  ways 
and  obey  the  law  of  holiness  by  a  holy  life,  all  would  yet 
be  well  and  they  would  be  happy  again.  "Can  the  Ethio- 
pian change  his  skin  or  the  leopard  his  spots?  Then  may 
ye  also  do  good  who  are  accustomed  to  do  evil,"  Jer.  13, 
23.  They  are  dead  in  sin,  and  cannot  restore  themselves 
to  life  again  and  put  away  their  iniquity  and  the  curse 
which  it  has  brought  upon  them.  The  law  is  good  and 
holy,  but  it  cannot  make  them  good  and  holy.  It  con- 
demns them  for  their  sin,  it  cannot  save  from  its  own 
condemnation. 

Think  not  that  Christ  has  come  to  destroy  the  law 
or  the  prophets.  He  brings  us  salvation,  but  not  in  the 
way  which  self-righteous  souls  suppose.  He  assures  us, 
"I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill."     Scripture 


THE   BETTER   RIGHTEOUSNESS.  105 

usage  leaves  no  room  for  doubt  that  by  the  words  "law 
or  propliets/'  the  entire  economy  revealed  in  the  Old 
Testament  is  meant.  "The  law  and  the  prophets  were 
until  John;  since  that  time  the  kingdom  of  God  is 
preached,  and  every  man  presseth  into  it,"  Luke  16,  16. 
All  that  God  had  done  and  made  known  for  man's  de- 
liverance from  the  bondage  of  corruption  is  embraced  in 
the  law  and  the  prophets  down  to  the  time  of  the  Bap- 
tist's preaching  in  the  wilderness.  In  Acts  13,  15,  the 
reading  of  the  law  and  the  prophets  as  the  Scriptures 
used  in  the  synagogues  is  mentioned,  and  in  Rom.  3,  21, 
St.  Paul  says:  "The  righteousness  of  God  without  the  law 
is  manifest,  being  witnessed  by  the  law  and  the  proph- 
ets," which  evidently  means  that  the  entire  Scriptures 
bear  such  witness.  So  when  our  Savior  lays  down  a 
general  rule  of  moral  conduct,  He  declares  this  to  be 
the  law  and  the  prophets,  Matt.  7,  12;  and  again  when 
He  sets  forth  the  fundamental  law  of  love  to  God  and 
our  neighbors  and  declares  that  "on  these  two  command- 
ments hang  all  the  law  and  the  prophets,"  Matt.  22,  4, 
it  is  beyond  question  that  the  two  words  are  intended  to 
embrace  all  that  is  written  for  our  learning  in  the  books 
of  Holy  Scripture. 

This  revelation  of  God's  thoughts  of  peace  for  the 
government  and  salvation  of  our  fallen  race  Christ  came 
to  fulfill,  not  to  destroy.  His  mission  was  to  execute 
the  plan  of  God  and  fulfill  all  righteousness.  This  in- 
cluded all  law  and  prophecy  of  every  description,  types 
and  shadows,  civil  and  ceremonial  regulations,  precepts 
and  promises,  as  God  had  given  them  for  the  education 
of  His  chosen  people  and  their  preparation  for  the  Mes- 
siah's advent.  All  the  express  declarations  concerning 
the  coming  of  the  Savior  and  all  the  prefigurations  de- 
signed to  represent  and  keep  alive  the  promises  respect- 
ing Him  and  His  redeeming  work  were  fulfilled  in  Him 
as  the  chosen  One  in  whom  they  all  centered.     As  the 


106  THE   SERMON   ON    THE   MOUNT. 

very  Christ  He  could  not  otherwise  than  say  to  His 
Father :  "I  have  glorified  Thee  on  the  earth :  I  have  fin- 
ished the  work  which  Thou  gavest  me  to  do,"  John  17,  14. 
But  it  is  the  law  given  by  Moses  which  is  here 
especially  had  in  view.  This  is  apparent  from  the  ex- 
planations subsequently  given.  The  moral  law  sum- 
marized in  the  decalogue  is  paramount,  but  the  so-called 
ceremonial  is  neither  expressly  excepted  nor  is  there  any 
ground  for  regarding  it  as  an  exception,  unless  the  diffi- 
culty which  its  inclusion  presents  to  some  minds  should 
be  esteemed  a  sufficient  ground.  Fault  was  found  most 
frequently  with  our  Lord's  teaching  and  conduct  in  re- 
gard to  the  ceremonial  ordinances  which  the  Jews  so 
highly  prized.  Was  not  the  charge  against  Him  true, 
as  far  as  these  were  concerned,  that  He  destroyed  the 
law,  and  could  He  rightly  say  that  in  this  respect,  as  in 
every  other.  He  came  not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill?  He 
undeniably  did  teach  otherwise  than  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees  concerning  the  import  and  purpose  of  the 
Mosaic  ritual,  and  His  treatment  of  their  observances 
was  certainly  not  such  as  they  desired  or  expected.  His 
doctrine  of  the  divine  law  as  a  revelation  from  God  di- 
rected to  the  hearts  of  men  and  requiring  an  inward  con- 
formity with  His  will  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness, 
necessarily  involved  the  assignment  of  the  external  deed 
to  a  subordinate  place  in  the  fulfilment;  and  when  this 
external  observance  was  held  to  be  the  fulfilment  itself, 
as  it  was  by  the  Jewish  teachers,  Christ  could  not  other- 
wise, in  accordance  wdth  the  divine  intent  of  the  law, 
than  condemn  the  consequent  work-righteousness  and  re- 
buke the  shallow  morality  that  looked  only  at  outward 
appearances.  This  He  did  both  in  regard  to  the  moral 
and  the  ceremonial  law,  because  in  both  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees  had  emptied  the  law  of  its  divine  ineaning,  and 
by  their  fundamentally  false  teaching  and  practice 
erected  a  barrier  to  the  establishment  of  His  kingdom 


THE   BETTER  RIGHTEOUSNESS.  107 

of  grace  and  truth.  "The  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not 
with  observation:  neither  shall  they  say,  Lo  here,  or  lo 
there!  for,  behold,  the  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you." 
Luke  17,  20.  21.  That  which  is  seen  is  not  the  essential 
thing,  though  it  might  have  the  highest  semblance  of 
holiness  and  elicit  the  applause  of  the  best  of  men.  It 
may  after  all  be  merely  a  glittering  imitation  of  works 
that  are  done  in  righteousness,  without  an  inner  reality 
to  give  it  moral  substance  and  truth.  "The  righteous 
God  trieth  the  heart  and  reins."  Ps.  7,  9.  Men  may  de- 
ceive their  fellow-men,  but  they  cannot  deceive  God, 
who  seeth  the  heart  and  judgeth  righteous  judgment. 
When  the  Pharisees  set  up  the  external  act  as  the  meas- 
ure of  righteousness,  they  deceived  themselves  as  well 
as  those  whom  they  should  have  taught  better.  Their 
error  vitiated  the  moral  as  well  as  the  ceremonial  law. 
"This  people  drawetli  nigh  unto  me  with  their  mouth," 
says  our  Lord,  "and  honoreth  me  with  their  lips,  but  their 
heart  is  far  from  me.  But  in  vain  do  they  worship  me, 
teaching  for  doctrines  the  commandments  of  men." 
Matt.  15,  8.  9.  Never  is  it  anything  but  the  command- 
ments of  men  when  external  works,  whether  moral  pre- 
cepts or  ceremonial  ordinances  are  the  subject,  are  in- 
culcated as  the  fulfilment  of  God's  will,  which  is  that  we 
should  be  good  trees  of  the  Lord's  planting,  which  will 
then  bear  good  fruit  for  the  Lord's  glory.  In  regard  to 
ritual  observances  this  is  plainly  indicated  when  the 
apostle  says:  "The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and 
drink,  but  righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost."  Rcmi.  14,  17.  They  are  all  astray  who  imagine 
that  keeping  the  Mosaic  ordinances  in  regard  to  different 
kinds  of  food  consists  simply  in  abstaining  from  the 
bodily  eating  of  meats  pronounced  unclean  or  refraining 
from  forbidden  work  on  sabbath  days.  But  it  must  not 
be  overlooked  that  the  principle  thus  laid  down  applies 
equally  to  the  requirements  of  the  moral  law.    They  are 


108  THE   SERMON   ON   THE   MOUNT. 

guilty  of  the  same  error  who  imagine  that  when  they 
have  refrained  from  the  outward  act  of  murder  or 
adultery  they  have  fulfilled  the  commandments  which 
forbid  these  sins.  Our  Lord  shows  that  both  in  regard 
to  the  moral  and  the  ceremonial  law  His  adversaries  are 
the  destroyers  of  the  law  which  He  came  to  fulfil. 

We  are  not  endeavoring  to  push  out  of  sight  the 
manifest  difference  between  the  law  of  righteousness  and 
the  ceremonial  ordinances,  and  the  bearing  which  that 
difference  has  on  the  subject  under  consideration.  The 
difference  is  recognized  and  the  difficulty  which  it  seems 
to  involve  is  not  ignored.  The  ceremonial  law  was  a 
means  to  an  end  which  was  temporal.  When  that  end 
was  attained  it  had  fulfilled  its  purpose  and  was-  of  no 
further  service.  In  its  nature  it  was  temporary;  when 
its  work  was  done  it  ceased  to  be  obligatory.  And  while 
it  continued  in  force,  the  obligatoriness  was  based  en- 
tirely on  the  end  to  be  accomplished,  not  on  the  inherent 
righteousness  of  the  ceremonial  observance.  The  moral 
law  is  in  its  nature  of  perpetual  obligation  and  value,  be- 
cause it  is  the  revelation  of  the  holiness  of  God  as  the  rule 
of  life  for  man  made  in  His  image  and  for  His  glory.  It  is 
therefore  eternal,  and  can  never  cease  to  be  binding  on 
the  creature  made  to  be  holy  and  happy  only  in  the  ful- 
filment of  the  mission  which  God  gave  and  His  law 
regulates.  The  law  of  meats  and  sabbaths  and  purifica- 
tions and  sacrifices  could  pass  away  without  affecting 
the  soul's  relation  to  God  and  the  life  of  holiness;  the 
law  of  love  to  God  and  man  could  not  be  abrogated 
without  undermining  the  divine  government  and  destroy- 
ing all  foundations  of  human  righteousness  and  well- 
being.  Did  not  our  Lord  in  fact  destroy  the  ceremonial 
law  instead  of  fulfilling  it,  and  thus  give  the  Pharisees 
occasion  for  their  bitter  accusations  against  Him,  though 
they  utterly  failed  to  find  in  Him  even  any  appearance  of 
sin  against  the  moral  law?    So  at  a  superficial  glance  it 


THE   BETTER   RIGHTEOUSNESS.  109 

might  seem.  The  ceremonial  law  is  no  longer  in  force 
since  the  kingdom  of  God  has  come.  It  is  a  dangerous 
error  to  maintain  that  this  kingdom  is  meat  and  drink. 
The  delusion  that  certain  acts  or  omissions  constitute  a 
good  title  to  citizenship  in  that  kingdom  with  all  its 
privileges  and  blessings,  has  blighted  the  eternal  pros- 
pects of  many  a  soul.  "Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you 
in  meat  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect  of  a  holiday,  or  of  the 
new  moon,  or  of  the  sabbath  days:  which  are  a  shadow 
of  the  things  to  come,  but  the  body  is  of  Christ."  Col. 
2,  16.  The  laws  in  regard  to  these  things  have  passed 
away,  while  the  moral  law  has  not.  No  ambassador  of 
God  could  be  authorized  to  say.  Let  no  man  judge  you  in 
respect  of  lying  or  stealing,  of  murder  or  adultery,  be- 
cause the  law  still  stands  that  condemns  them.  In  itself 
it  is  no  sin  to  eat  pork;  in  itself  it  is  a  sin  to  take  the 
name  of  the  Lord  our  God  in  vain.  The  law  of  the  ten 
commandments  cannot  cease  to  be  binding,  for  it  is  the 
legal  expression  of  God's  holiness  which  is  eternal;  the 
ceremonial  law  is  no  longer  in  force,  because  its  whole 
purpose  and  meaning  were  fulfilled  when  Christ  came. 
He  came  to  fulfil  the  ceremonial  as  well  as  the  moral 
law.  That  the  fulfilment  did  not  in  both  cases  take  the 
same  form,  but  in  each  case  corresponded  to  the  nature 
of  the  law  and  the  design  of  the  Lawgiver,  should  be 
thought  a  matter  of  course,  not  a  perplexing  disparity, 

That  which  our  Savior  rebuked  in  the  Pharisees  was 
not  their  strictness  in  the  observance  of  divinely  pre- 
scribed ritual  laws,  as  if  that  must  necessarily  be  mere 
formalism.  All  the  laws  of  God  are  given  to  be  obeyed, 
and  no  man  has  a  right  to  set  any  of  them  aside  as  use- 
less. They  must  be  fulfilled,  that  the  will  of  God  may  be 
done.  The  Pharisaic  fault  lay  in  failing  to  fulfil  them, 
and  this  with  regard  to  all  the  divine  laws  alike.  They 
made  mere  ceremonial  observances  of  the  moral  law  by 
regarding  the  prescribed  outward  act  as  the  obedience 


110  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

required;  and  the  ceremonial  laws  with  their  design  of 
foreshadowing  the  coming  and  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  in 
whom  all  the  law  and  the  prophets  were  fulfilled,  they 
did  not  understand,  but  supposed  their  purpose  was  at- 
tained when  the  ceremony  was  performed,  as  they  did  in 
regard  to  the  deeds  of  the  moral  law.  That  with  such 
a  system  of  work-righteousness  in  external  performances 
they  should  delight  in  multiplying  their  human  or- 
dinances for  outward  show  of  sanctity  was  natural,  and 
no  wonder  that  they  brought  the  railing  accusation 
against  our  Lord  that  He  was  destroying  the  law  and 
the  prophets  when  He  rebuked  their  legality  and 
formalism. 

Christ  came  to  fulfil,  not  to  destroy  what  God  had 
revealed  in  the  olden  time  and  had  written  in  the  Old 
Testament.     This  was  the  necessary  condition  of  setting 
up  and  maintaining  His  kingdom  on  earth.    All  the  will 
of  God,  as  it  had  been  made  known  from  the  beginning 
must  be  accomplished,  for  it  all  pertained  to  the  great 
salvation  proclaimed  in  that  kingdom.     Promises   and 
precepts  alike  looked  to  the  realization  of  this  divine 
will,  and  now,  when  the  promised  Savior  came,  the  king- 
dom of  God  was  at  hand  and  all  things  were  ready  for 
the  crowning  work  of  divine  mercy  to  fallen  man.     "Be- 
ginning at  Moses  and  all  the  prophets  He  expounded 
unto  them  in  all  the  Scriptures  the  things  concerning 
Himself."     Luke  24,  27.     All  the  prophecies  that  gave 
hope  to  the  people  of  the  old  covenant,  foretelling  the 
wonderful  birth  of  the  Son  of  God  in  this  world  of  sin, 
His  life  of  obedience  for  the  fulfilment  of  all  righteous- 
ness, His  labors  and  sufferings  and  death  for  the  de- 
liverance of  condemned  sinners,  were  fulfilled  in  every 
particular.      All   the  religious   institutions   with   their 
numerous  ordinances  and  extended  ritual  foreshadowing 
the  coming  redemption  through  the  Savior's  sacrifice  up- 
on the  cross,  attained  their  end  in  Him.     Nothing  was 


THE   BETTER   RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Ill 

destroyed,  everything  was  fulfilled.  Not  even  the  cere- 
monial law,  which  was  a  shadow  that  faded  away  when 
Christ  tlio  foreshadowed  body  appeared,  was  abrogated 
as  a  useless  imposition  of  lifeless  forms:  it,  too,  was  ful- 
filled in  all  the  fulness  of  its  divine  purpose,  and  ceased 
to  be  of  any  further  seiwice  only  because  that  purpose 
was  fully  accomplished.  The  prescribed  observances 
"are  a  shadow  of  things  to  come,  but  the  body  is  of 
Christ."    Col.  2,  17. 

But  it  is  the  moral  law  whose  requirements  and  ful- 
filment Christ  makes  especially  prominent  in  His  sermon. 
^*Lo  I  come  (in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me) 
to  do  Thy  will,  O  God."  Heb.  10,  7.  Christ's  obedience 
to  the  law  was  perfect.  No  sin  could  be  laid  to  His 
charge.  He  "was  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are, 
yet  without  sin."  Heb.  4,  15.  But  the  fulfilment  required 
something  more  than  activity  in  doing  the  good  deeds 
commanded.  Not  only  is  perfect  holiness  of  heart  re- 
quired, which  the  Pharisees  notwithstanding  all  their 
boast  of  the  law  failed  to  comprehend,  but  there  are 
dreadful  penalties  attached  to  its  transgression,  and 
these,  too,  must  be  borne  before  any  fulfilment  can  be 
claimed.  Looking  to  these  there  were  sacrifices  ordained 
in  the  old  dispensation.  Without  the  shedding  of  blood 
there  is  no  remission  of  sins,  because  the  wages  of  sin  is 
death.  These  sacrifices  prefigured  the  great  sacrifice  which 
in  the  fulness  of  time  was  to  be  offered  upon  the  cross,  in 
which  all  was  fulfilled.  "Above  when  He  said,  Sacrifice 
and  offering  and  burnt  offerings  Thou  wouldest  not, 
neither  hadst  pleasure  therein,  which  are  offered  by  the 
law,  then  said  He,  Lo  I  come  to  do  Thy  will,  O  God.  He 
taketh  away  the  first  that  he  may  establish  the  second. 
By  the  which  will  we  are  all  sanctified  through  the  offer- 
ing of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ  once  for  all."  Heb.  10, 
8-10.  Christ  died  for  us,  taking  our  sins  upon  Himself 
and  paying  their  penalty,  which  the  blood  of  bulls  and 


112  THE   SERMON   ON   THE   MOUNT. 

goats  foreshadowing  this  could  not  do,  so  that  we 
might  escape  the  death  which  is  our  due  as  the  wages  of 
sin.  "When  the  fulness  of  the  time  was  come  God  sent 
forth  His  Son,  made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law, 
to  redeem  them  that  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might 
receive  the  adoption  of  sons."  Gal.  4,  4  .  5.  All  is  now 
fulfilled;  therefore  our  Lord  could  send  forth  the  gra- 
cious call:  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are 
heavy  laden  and  I  will  give  you  rest."     Matt.  11,  28. 

2.  "Whosoever  therefore  shall  break  one  of  these 
least  commandments  and  shall  teach  men  so,  he  shall 
be  called  the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  whoso- 
ever shall  do  and  teach  them,  the  same  shall  be  called 
great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

The  scribes  and  Pharisees  are  warned  that  the  law 
of  righteousness  shall  stand  forever.  So  far  is  Christ 
from  destroying  it,  that  He  impresses  it  in  all  its  divine 
force  and  fulfills  it  in  all  its  divine  fulness.  But  He 
therefore  continues  to  rebuke  their  perversions,  that  they 
may  learn  to  understand  it  and  honor  it  as  they  should 
and  profit  by  it  through  the  entrance  of  its  light  into 
their  benighted  hearts.  In  their  perversity,  which  led  to 
numerous  ordinances  of  their  own  invention,  they  were 
accustomed  to  make  distinctions  as  to  the  dignity  and 
value  of  the  commandments,  holding  some  to  be  greater 
and  others  of  inferior  importance;  and  naturally  they 
gave  the  preference  to  their  own  conceptions  of  what  is 
meant  or  implied,  as  that  was  laid  down  in  their  ordi- 
nances and  traditions.  Thus  they  asked  Jesus:  "Why 
do  Thy  disciples  trangress  the  tradition  of  the  elders? 
for  they  wash  not  their  hands  when  they  eat  bread.  But 
He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Why  do  ye  also  trans- 
gress the  commandment  of  God  by  your  traditions?" 
Matt.  15,  2  .  3.  By  their  arbitrary  regulations,  born  of 
their  work- righteous  spirit,  they  set, the  law  of  God  aside 
to  make  room  for  the  shallow  morality  of  their  own  car- 


THE   BETTER    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  113 

nal  minds.  An  example  is  given  in  connection  with  the 
answer  to  their  captious  question  just  cited,  Christ 
there  continues:  "God  commanded,  saying,  Honor  thy 
father  and  mother,  and  he  that  curseth  father  or  mother, 
let  him  die  the  death.  But  ye  say.  Whosoever  shall  say 
to  his  father  or  his  mother.  It  is  a  gift  by  whatsoever 
thou  mightest  be  profited  by  me;  and  honor  not  his  father 
or  his  mother,  he  shall  be  free.  Thus  have  ye  made  the 
commandment  of  God  of  none  effect  by  your  tradition." 
In  other  words,  they  taught  that  what  we  are  commanded 
to  apply  in  gratitude  to  the  support  and  comfort  of  our 
parents  may,  under  the  pretence  of  devoting  it  to  God, 
be  withheld  from  them  without  sin,  thus  rendering  the 
divine  law  nugatory  hj  a  human  contrivance.  Such' 
ordinances  of  their  own  fabrication  thej  were  wont  to 
regard  as  the  great  commandments.  Hence  Christ  says: 
"Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  for  ye 
pay  tithe  of  mint  and  anise  and  cummin,"  which  there 
was  no  divine  command  to  tithe,  "and  have  omitted  the 
weightier  matters  of  the  law,  judgment,  mercy,  and  faith," 
Matt.  23,  23.  To  this  our  Lord  refers  when  He  speaks 
of  breaking  one  of  the  least  of  these  commandments  and 
teaching  men  so.  As  the  Pharisees  declared  the  law  of 
God  to  be  of  less  worth  than  their  traditions,  Christ  pro- 
nounces sentence  upon  them  as  the  least  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  Avhich  indicates  that  they  are  as  little  entitled 
to  a  place  there  as  their  traditions.  On  the  other  hand, 
he  who  observes  God's  commandments  and  teaches  the 
people  to  stand  in  awe  of  His  Word  and  obey  His  will, 
shall  be  great  in  His  kingdom,  being  found  a  faithful  ser- 
vant of  the  great  King  who  saves  them  by  His  grace  and 
richly  rewards  their  fidelity. 

It  is  not  only  because  those  who  were  the  teachers 
of  the  law  were  chiefly  had  in  view,  that  the  teaching  as 
well  as  the  doing  of  God's  will  is  mentioned.  Doing  the 
commandments   is   obeying   the   will   of   Him   who   gave 

8 


114  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

them,  and  breaking  them  is  disregarding  that  holy  will 
and  disowning  its  authority.  Teaching  otherwise  than 
the  law  declares  enhances  the  sin  of  disobedience  and  is 
doubly  damnable,  because  it  not  only  leads  away  from 
God,  but  blocks  the  way  of  returning  to  Him.  False 
teaching  is  but  too  frequently  represented  as  a  light 
offense  compared  with  living  and  doing  otherwise  than 
tlie  Word  of  God  requires.  The  vicious  thinking  of  our 
materialistic  times,  which  assumes  all  to  be  well  if  we 
only  do  what  seems  to  us  right,  no  matter  what  we  be- 
lieve, undermines  all  moral  as  well  as  religious  founda- 
tions; for  it  not  only  eschews  all  regulatives  divinely  re- 
vealed to  secure  right  conduct,  but  it  prevents  the  intro- 
duction of  the  power  of  the  Gospel  for  the  creation  of  a 
right  faith  and  a  renewal  of  the  lieart  for  the  guidance 
of  the  will  in  ways  of  holiness.  When  the  teachers  lead 
the  people  to  regard  that  to  be  right  and  good  wliich, 
though  it  may  seem  right  in  their  own  eyes,  is  plainly  a 
violation  of  the  law  of  the  Lord,  not  only  is  iniquity  con- 
doned and  encouraged,  but  the  only  remedy  for  it  is  re- 
jected and  men  are  left  helpless  in  their  sin.  As  long  as 
the  Word  of  God  is  taught,  transgressions  are  condemned 
and  their  consequences  are  warned  against.  Evil-doers 
may  thus  be  brought  to  see  their  sin  and  be  led  to  repent 
and  amend  their  ways.  But  when  sinners  are  misled  by 
ungodly  teaching  and  suppose  that  their  violation  of 
God's  commandments  is  not  sinful,  they  have  nothing 
left  to  show  them  their  error,  and  wrong  triumphs  per- 
manently, the  very  light  which  should  lead  them  to  the 
better  way  being  put  out  and  every  avenue  to  betterment 
being  closed.  Teaching  otherwise  than  the  Scriptures 
teach  is  the  sin  that  sanctions  sin  and  by  deceiving  the 
people  silences  even  the  voice  of  conscience.  Thus  it  at 
once  leads  to  error  and  renders  its  correction  impossible. 
3.  "For  I  say  unto  you.  That  except  your  righteous- 
ness shall   exceed  the   righteousness  of   tlie   scribes  and 


THE   BETTER   RIGHTEOUSNESS.  115 

Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven." 

The  law  which  our  Savior  came  to  I'ultill  requires 
righteousness.  This  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  did  not 
deny  or  ignore.  They  knew  it.  But  the  righteousness 
which  they  taught  and  practiced  was  not  that  which  was 
required.  They  erred,  and  erred  fundamentally.  They 
erred  in  regard  to  the  nature  of  the  righteousness  which 
the  law  demands,  and  they  erred  fatally  in  regard  to 
Christ's  fulfilment.  A  better  righteousness  than  theirs 
is  indispensable  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

That  better  righteousness,  in  the  first  place,  is  the 
spiritual  fulfilment  of  the  law  as  a  si^iritual  command- 
ment. In  this  the  Pharisees  were  utterly  found  wanting. 
The  spiritual  import  of  the  law  they  did  not  perceive  nor 
teach  nor  practice.  They  lacked  the  spirituality  which 
is  necessary  to  make  this  possible.  Of  them  and  their 
kind  it  is  written :  "This  people  draweth  nigh  unto  me 
with  their  mouth  and  honoreth  me  with  their  lips,  but 
their  heart  is  far  from  me,"  Matt.  15,  8.  That  is  the  way 
of  all  formalists,  who  find  obedience  to  the  will  of  God 
to  consist  in  outward  conformity  to  rules  which  He  pre- 
scribes. It  is  the  natural  disposition  of  mau,  so  far  as 
his  thoughts  are  occupied  at  all  with  the  high  subject  of 
our  relation  and  our  duty  to  God.  He  has  become  carnal, 
which  is  the  opposite  of  spiritual.  "The  law  is  ho\j,  and 
the  commandment  holy  and  just  and  good,"  Rom.  7,  12. 
With  this  the  human  soul  originally  corresponded,  and 
would  correspond  now  if  it  were  holy  and  just  and  good. 
But  sin  has  come  and  corrupted  it.  Because  of  this  the 
natural  man  is  unholy  and  unjust  and  wicked,  and  knows 
no  way  of  complying  with  the  holy  law,  whose  require- 
ments his  own  conscience  sanctions,  but  that  of  perform- 
ing the  acts  prescribed.  The  result  is  the  works  of  the  law, 
which  he  of  course  pronounces  good,  although  he  is  not 
good  and  therefore  inwardly  not  in  accord  with  the  laws. 


116  THE   SERMON    ON    THE   MOUNT. 

He  thinks  them  good  because  the  act  squares  with  the  de- 
mand, and  beyond  this  he  does  not  look  and  has  not  the 
ability  to  see.  He  deceives  himself  when  he  takes  the 
good  appearance  for  the  good  substance  and  imagines 
himself  a  good  man  because  he  does  some  works  that  are 
supposed  to  be  good.  "For  we  know  that  the  law  is  spir- 
itual; but  I  am  carnal,  sold  under  sin,"  Kom.  7,  14.  This 
the  scribes  and  Pharisees  could  not  understand  in  their 
spiritual  blindness.  Hence  while  they  inculcated  and  did 
what  they  presumed  to  be  the  law  of  God,  their  hearts 
were  far  from  God  and  their  obedience  accordingly  only 
a  vain  show.  This  they  regarded  as  the  righteousness 
which  the  law  requires  and  of  which  they  made  their 
sanctimonious  boast.  It  was  such  a  righteousness  as  any 
heathen  may  claim  when  he  gives  a  hungry  tramp  a  piece 
of  bread  or  refrains  from  kicking  him  when  he  repays  the 
kindness  with  insult.  Their  righteousness  was  that  of 
works,  a  large  portion  of  which  was  not  even  such  as 
the  divine  law  demanded,  but  was  rather  additions  and 
perversions  of  their  own  devising;  and  that  which  cor- 
responded to  the  holy  law  was  only  a  sham  obedience  in 
external  performances  with  which,  so  far  as  they  were 
deeds  that  seemed  to  be  the  proper  expression  of  the  holi- 
ness required,  their  hearts  were  not  in  harmony.  It  is 
the  work-righteousness  in  which  so  many  heathens, 
and  so  many  who  do  not  want  to  be  heathens,  still  in 
our  own  times  put  their  trust,  and  by  which  multitudes 
who  even  call  themselves  Christians  and  have  access  to 
the  light  which  Christ  brought  into  the  world's  darkness, 
deceive  themselves.  Unless  our  righteousness  be  better 
than  that,  we  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  Our  Lord's  fulfilment  of  the  law  recognized  its 
spiritual  nature  and  significance,  and  His  disciples  are 
taught  to  recognize  it,  that  they  may  be  the  salt  of  the 
earth  and  the  light  of  the  world. 

It  is  not  a  new  law  which  Christ  adves.     The  better 


THE   BETTER   RIGHTEOUSNESS.  117 

righteousness  needed  for  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of 
God,  is  something  more  than  the  law  or  any  human  obedi- 
ence can  furnish.  This  must  be  noted  in  the  second  place, 
as  the  essential  element  in  His  fulfillment  of  the  laAv.  As 
against  the  Pharisaic  perversions  He  gives  a  lucid  expo- 
sition of  the  old  law,  which  He  made  known  as  the  revela- 
tion of  His  holy  will  for  the  guidance  of  His  people  from 
the  beginning,  which  He  implanted  in  man's  nature  when 
he  was  created  in  the  image  of  God,  which  was  sanc- 
tioned by  the  human  conscience,  notwithstanding  the  fall, 
through  all  the  ages  of  his  earthly  history,  and  which  was 
written  on  tables  of  stone  and  delivered  to  Israel  on 
Mt.  Sinai  that  it  might  still  be  read  when  sin  had  rendered 
the  writing  in  the  heart  almost  illegible.  This  law  was 
sufficient  for  its  purpose.  Indeed  it  is  perfect,  and  there- 
fore incapable  of  any  improvement.  No  new  Lawgiver 
was  needed,  and  Christ  did  not  come  to  make  additions  to 
that  which  was  already  perfect  and  required  perfect  holi- 
ness in  obedience.  But  it  was  necessary  that  the  law 
should  be  understood,  that  it  might  do  the  preparatory 
work  for  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  grace  and  glory 
which  the  Savior  established.  But  the  object  of  His  com- 
ing was  to  save  the  people  from  their  sins  and  set  up 
that  kingdom.  "In  Him  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the 
light  of  men."  Something  more  than  instruction  was 
necessary  to  revive  the  mass  that  Satan  had  slain.  Life 
must  be  breathed  into  the  dry  bones.  This  our  Savior 
provided.  And  this  was  in  accord  with  the  eternal 
purpose  and  plan  of  God  for  the  rescue  of  our  ruined 
race.  Mnn  was  no  longer  spiritual,  and  no  enlighten- 
ment concerning  the  original  spiritual  import  of  the  law 
would  bring  about  its  fulfillment  by  a  spiritually  dead 
people.  But  God  had  thoughts  of  peace  towards  His 
forlorn  creature  and  made  gracious  provisions  for  his 
deliverance  from  death.  "Behold  the  days  come,  saith  the 
Lord,  that  I  will  make  a  new  covenant  with  the  house  of 


118  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Israel  and  with  tlie  house  of  Jiidah,  not  according  to  the  cov- 
enant that  I  made  with  their  fathers  in  the  day  that  I  took 
(.hem  by  the  hand  to  bring  tliem  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
which  My  covenant  they  brake,  although  I  was  a  husband 
unto  them,  saith  the  Lord ;  but  this  shall  be  the  covenant 
that  I  will  make  with  the  house  of  Israel:  After  these 
days,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  put  My  law  into  their  inward 
parts  and  write  it  on  their  hearts,  and  will  be  their  God 
and  they  shall  be  My  people."  Jer.  31,  31-33.  Those 
days  had  come  when  the  Savior  appeared.  Instead  of  the 
outward  form  of  obedience  to  the  righteous  demands  of 
the  law,  which  was  all  that  man  in  his  spiritual  death 
could  render  and  which  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  sup- 
posed to  be  all  that  is  needed  for  righteousness.  He  gave 
them  the  life  and  the  light  which  brings  into  the  soul 
deliverance  from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  delight  in  God's 
holy  will,  so  that  the  liberated  people  would  serve  the 
Lord  with  gladness  according  to  His  Word.  He  gave 
them  His  Holy  Spirit,  so  that  the  law  was  put  in  their  in- 
ward parts  and  written  in  their  hearts,  and  they  delighted 
to  do  the  Lord's  will.  That  is  the  better  righteousness, 
of  God's  regenerated  people  who  are  endowed  with  new 
hearts  that  beat  in  unison  with  our  Heavenly  Father's 
holy  will,  and  who  live  under  Christ  in  His  kingdom  of 
grace  on  earth  as  children  of  God  who  daily  rejoice  in  the 
hope  of  glory.  That  is  the  better  righteousness  of  the  re- 
newed and  sanctified  heart,  of  which  the  work-righteous- 
ness of  the  Pharisees,  ancient  and  modern,  is  but  a  spur- 
ious imitation. 

But  that  is  not  all  that  need  be  said  to  set  this  better 
righteousness  in  the  clear  light  of  Holy  Scripture.  Even 
the  sanctification  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  given  us  by 
the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  does  not  insure  a 
complete  fulfillment  of  the  law  and  thus  supply  the  per- 
fect righteousness  which  is  requisite  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.     Our  Lord's  fulfillment  of  the  law,  not  our  own, 


THE    BETTEll    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  119 

is  after  all   the  only  sure  foundation   of  our  Christian 
hope. 

Reflecting  Christian  readers  will  no  doubt  raise  the 
question,  whetlier  the  great  salvation  which  our  Lord 
effected  and  proclaimed,  and  whicli  is  the  great  treasure 
jwssessed  and  dispensed  in  His  kingdom,  is  attained  by 
this  better  righteousness  of  the  law.  An  affirmative  an- 
swer would  mean  that  righteousness  is  indeed  by  the  law, 
but  it  is  not  the  righteousness  of  the  mere  external  con- 
formity of  our  works  with  the  demand  which  the  law 
makes,  but  that  of  the  inward  harmon}'  of  our  hearts  with 
the  Lord's  holy  will.  That  seems  i)lausible.  What  more 
could  be  required  of  us  than  that  we  should  be  holy  as  our 
Maker  is  holy.  And  more  is  not  required  of  us  in  the 
Scriptures.  The  question  then  resolves  itself  into  this, 
whether  the  salvation  which  Christ  proclaims  is  anything 
more  than  our  obedience  to  the  divine  law,  and  whether 
Christ  is  our  Savior  in  any  other  sense  than  that  He 
enables  us  to  render  such  obedience.  The  natural  man 
will  reply  in  the  negative.  With  him  it  stands  to  reason, 
so  far  as  sin  and  salvation  are  topics  challenging  consid- 
eration at  all,  that  the  sinner  must  abandon  his  sin  and  do 
right  if  he  would  escape  its  punishment,  and  that  so  far 
as  Christ  has  anything  to  do  with  the  case,  it  can  only  be 
as  a  great  teacher  showing  us  the  way  of  amendment  and 
as  a  great  example  of  right  living.  The  error  is  fatal,  and 
is  none  the  less  so  because  millions  fall  into  it.  Among 
these  there  are  many  who  not  only  profess  to  be  Chris- 
tians, but  whose  sincerity  and  general  integrity  and  hon- 
esty is  unimpeachable.  This  makes  the  error  still  more 
reputable  and  cai)tivating  and  to  this  extent  more  destruc- 
tive. It  seems  ungracious  to  speak  Avith  earnestness  and 
emphasis  against  a  false  doctrine  that  is  so  popular  and 
the  condemnation  of  which  is  olfensive  to  so  many  who 
have  the  reputation  of  being  good  people,  and  the  duty  is 
made  still  more  onerous  by  the  persistent  plea  of  the  error- 


120  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

ists,  that  we  are  making  subtle  distinctions  in  which  the 
(common  jjeople  have  no  interest  and  which  can  have  no 
purpose  but  to  gratify  a  love  of  strife  and  a  hatred  of 
those  who  will  not  submit  their  thoughts  to  ours.  But 
the  subject  is  not  one  of  hair-splitting  theology  or  of 
personal  preference  in  a  domain  of  liberty.  It  pertains 
to  the  very  essence  of  Christianity,  on  which  the  great 
battles  of  the  ages  have  been  fought  against  the  work- 
righteousness  which  is  everywhere  in  vogue  and  has  been 
striving  to  undermine  the  Christian  Church  from  the 
beginning.  The  gates  of  hell  have  not  prevailed  against 
her;  that  cannot  be;  but  many  souls  have  been  destroyed 
by  the  error  which  virtually  rejects  Christ  as  the  Savior 
of  the  world  and  wickedly  represents  man  as  his  own 
savior.  It  therefore  behooves  us  to  show  that  by  His  ful- 
fillment of  the  law  and  the  prophets,  not  by  ours,  the  right- 
eousness of  God  is  satisfied  and  sinners  are  saved  from  the 
condemnation  which  the  righteous  law  of  God  pronounces 
upon  them. 

The  sermon  on  the  mount  deals  mainly  with  the  ex- 
position of  the  law,  without  entering  in  detail  upon  its 
purpose  in  the  plan  of  salvation,  or  upon  the  relation  of 
Christ's  fulfillment  to  the  demands  made  upon  us  and 
the  penalties  to  be  inflicted  in  case  of  our  failure  to  satisfy 
these  demands.  But  the  larger  purpose  of  Christ's  mis- 
sion, as  shown  throughout  the  Scriptures,  looms  up  when 
the  particulars  entering  into  its  accomplishment  are  duly 
considered,  and  we  cannot  expect  to  have  a  clear  under- 
standing of  the  text  before  us  without  discovering  its 
bearings  upon  the  way  of  our  salvation.  It  is  assuredly 
not  a  needless  or  irrelevant  inquiry,  whether  the  better 
spiritual  righteousness  which  our  Lord  taught  as  the  re- 
quirement of  the  law  and  set  in  opposition  to  the  carnal 
righteousness  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees*  was  fulfilled 
by  those  among  them  who  were  willing  to  hear  and  learn, 
or  lias  been  fulfilled  by  His  disciples  since,  so  that  com- 


THE   BETTER   RIGHTEOUSNESS.  121 

plete  satisfaction  has  been  rendered  and  all  requirements 
liiive  boon  met,  and  no  charges  lay  against  them  that  could 
interfere  with  their  admission  into  the  kingdom  of  glory. 
Let  the  reader  who  would  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come 
look  into  his  own  soul.  If  he  is  a  sincere  believer  in 
Christ  as  the  Savior  of  the  world,  he  has  the  Spirit  of  God 
in  his  heart  and  finds  delight  in  doing  God's  will.  But 
has  he  the  perfect  holiness  which  the  holy  law  requires, 
and  has  he  done  all  things  which  are  commanded  in  that 
bond  of  j)erfectness  which,  in  love  without  dissimulation, 
accords  with  the  mind  of  Christ?  And  if  he  has  not  in  all 
his  life  been  without  sin,  but  has  been  a  child  of  wrath 
by  nature  and  experienced  the  motions  of  sin  stirring  in 
liis  soul,  has  he  satisfied  the  law  by  suffering  the  wages 
of  sin,  which  is  death?  For  the  fulfillment  of  the  law 
obviously  implies  these  two  things,  first,  that  perfect  obe- 
dience be  rendered,  in  tlie  heart  and  in  the  life,  to  all  its 
holy  demands,  and  secondly  tliat,  in  case  of  failure  in  any 
respect  to  do  all  that  is  required,  to  suffer  the  death  de- 
nounced upon  transgression.  All  righteousness  must  be 
fulfilled ;  failure  in  any  one  point  subjects  to  the  penalty. 
"For  whosoever  shall  keep  the  whole  law,  and  yet  offend 
in  one  point,  he  is  guilty  of  all."    James  2,  10. 

Men  deceive  themselves  when  they  accept  the  lying 
flattery  of  Satan  that  they  are  perfectly  holy  as  the  law 
requires  and  that  there  is  no  taint  of  sin  in  their  hearts, 
or  in  their  thoughts  or  words  or  deeds.  And  this  a])plies 
to  Christians  as  well  as  to  unbelievers.  Indeed,  it  ap- 
])lies  especially  to  them.  The  natural  man  may  more 
readily  imagine  himself  sinless,  because  in  liis  superficial 
notions  of  sin  and  holiness  he  may  imagine  himself  guilt- 
less of  all  evil  doing  when  even  in  the  estimation  of  his 
neighbors  he  is  a  bad  man.  He  thinks  that  because  he 
has  never  been  arrested  as  a  criminal  no  one  can  accuse 
him  of  wrong,  and  therefore,  like  the  Pharisee  in  the 
parable,  he  thanks  God  that  he  is  not  like  the  poor  pub- 


122  THE   SEEMOX    OX    THE    MOUNT. 

liean  who  confesses  himself  to  be  a  sinner  and  implores 
merer.  The  Christian  believer  hag  a  better  knowledge 
of  sin  and  righteousness:  for  he  has  'oecome  a  Christian 
only  bv  repenting  of  his  sin  and  believing  the  Gospel  of 
forgiveness  through  the  blood  of  Jesus.  But  he  is  not 
now  without  the  taint  of  sin  in  his  nature.  The  soul 
regenerated  by  the  Spirit  and  planted  into  Christ,  hates 
sin  and  loves  righteousness.  St.  John  even  says:  "We 
know  that  whosoever  is  born  of  God  sinneth  not:  but  he 
that  is  begotten  of  God  keepeth  himself  and  that  wicked 
one  toucheth  him  not."  1  John  5.  IS.  It  is  a  faithful 
saying,  and  true  disciples  of  Jesus  will  not  pass  over 
it  lightly.  But  neither  will  they  disregard  the  other  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  which  are  necessary  for  the  correct 
understanding  of  the  complex  life  of  God's  children.  "If 
we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves  and  the 
truth  is  not  in  us;  if  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  faithful 
and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins  and  to  cleanse  us  from 
all  u nrighteousness.  If  we  say  that  we  have  not  sinned 
we  make  Him  a  liar,  and  His  Word  is  not  in  us,"  1  John 
1.  8-10.  The  true  believer  wants  no  fellowship  with  sin, 
but  daily  walks  with  God  and  strives  to  be  f^erfect  as 
our  Father  in  heaven  is  i)erfect;  but  he  does  not  deceive 
himself  with  the  flattering  thought  that  his  goal  has  been 
reached,  and  thus  permit  the  enemy  of  his  soul  to  lead 
him,  in  carnal  pride  and  security,  to  boast  of  his  own 
righteousness,  "yot  as  though  I  had  already  attained,'' 
says  St.  Paul,  "either  were  already  perfect;  but  I  follow 
after,  if  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  also  I  am  ap- 
prehended of  Christ  Jesus.  Brethren,  I  count  not  myself 
to  have  apprehended;  but  this  one  thing  I  do,  forgetting 
those  things  which  are  behind  and  reaching  forth  unto 
those  things  which  are  before,  I  press  toward  the  mark 
for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus," 
Phil.  3.  12-14.  If  the  Spirit  of  God  dwell  in  us,  we  are 
moved  by  that  Spirit  not  to  live  after  the  flesh,  but  to 


THE   BETTEK   RIGHTEOUSNESS.  123 

crncify  it  and  refuse  conseiit  tx>  any  of  its  motions,  and 
to  walk  in  holiness  by  the  light  of  His  Word  and  the 
power  of  His  grace.  "Now.  if  any  man  have  not  the 
i?pirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  Hi<."  Rom.  8.  9. 

The  condition  of  the  Christian  then  is  this,  thai  the 
Spirit  of  Christ  tliat  is  given  him  through  faith,  renews 
him  after  the  image  of  God  that  created  him.  so  that  he 
no  longer  has  the  will  to  sin,  but  follows  after  holiness, 
whereunto  he  is  called.  But  the  flesh,  or  the  old  Adamic 
nature  which  he  has  inherited,  still  clings  to  him  while 
he  lives  in  the  body  and  prompts  to  all  manner  of  eviL 
"'This  I  say  then.  Walk  in  the  Spirit  and  ye  shall  not 
fulfill  the  lust  of  the  flesh.  For  the  flesh  lusteth  against 
the  Spirit  and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh:  and  these 
are  contrai-y.  the  one  to  the  other,  so  that  ye  cannot  do 
the  things  that  ye  would."  Gal.  5. 16.  17.  And  so  it  comes 
that  the  believer  in  Christ,  though  the  Spirit  given  him 
renounces  the  will  of  the  flesh  and  brings  forth  fruits  of 
holiness,  still  finds  the  old  nature  asserting  itself  and 
striving  to  gain  the  mastery,  thtis  admonishing  to  c-on- 
stant  vigilance  and  prayer.  He  thus  leads  a  life  of  daily 
repentance  for  the  sin  that  so  easily  besets  him  and  daily 
rejoices  in  the  forgiveness  of  sin  which  the  Gospel  brings 
and  his  faith  embraces.  He  neither  grows  proud  of  his 
ideal  sinlessness  in  Christ  nor  despairs  on  account  of  his 
real  sinftilness  in  himself.  "The  good  that  I  would  I  do 
not.  but  the  evil  that  I  would  not,  that  I  do.  Xow,  if  I 
do  that  I  would  not,  it  is  no  more  I  that  do  it,  but  sin 
that  dwelleth  in  me.  I  find  then  a  law  that,  when  I 
would  do  good,  evil  is  present  with  me.  For  I  delight 
in  the  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man:  but  I  see  an- 
other law  in  my  members  warring  against  the  law  of 
my  mind  and  bringing  me  into  captivity  to  the  law  of 
sin  which  is  in  my  members."  Rom.  7,  19-23.  To  the  car- 
nal mind  it  might  seem  illogical  to  impute  the  sinfulness 
of  the  flesh  to  the  regenerated  person  who  is  spiritual  and 


124  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

contends  against  the  sin;  but  to  the  child  of  God  all  dif- 
ficulties in  this  regard  vanish  when  it  is  considered  that 
the  personality  is  one  and  that  the  flesh  against  which 
the  Spirit  strives  is  his  flesh.  The  Christian's  sanctifica- 
tion  is  real,  but  always  imperfect  during  his  pilgrimage 
on  earth,  until  the  change  come  and  the  victory  of  grace 
is  won  over  the  sin  in  our  nature. 

The  better  spiritual  righteousness  which  Christ  in- 
culcates as  the  original  purpose  and  meaning  of  the  law 
can  therefore  not  secure  our  salvation  as  our  fulfilment 
of  the  law  and  our  righteousness.  We  now  know  that 
it  is  spiritual  and  requires  something  more  than  our 
works  to  fulfill  it;  but  we  also  know  that  we  are  carnal 
and  therefore  are  not  in  perfect  harmony  with  it  in  our 
hearts  as  it  requires  us  to  be.  We  cannot  fulfill  all  true 
righteousness,  and  we  cannot  make  satisfaction  for  our 
transgressions.  The  law  therefore  condemns  us  to  eternal 
death,  and  we  have  no  power  to  deliver  ourselves  from 
the  body  of  this  death.  We  cannot  save  ourselves,  and 
therefore  in  His  boundless  love  the  Son  of  God  came  to 
save  us.  He  is  our  Savior.  "Now  the  righteousness  of 
God  without  the  law  is  manifested;  being  witnessed  by 
the  law  and  the  prophets,  even  the  righteousness  of  God 
which  is  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  unto  all  and  upon  all 
them  that  believe:  for  there  is  no  difference;  for  all  have 
sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God,  being  justified 
freely  by  His  grace  through  the  redemption  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus,"  Eom.  3,  21-24.  That  sums  up  the  whole 
gracious  plan  of  man's  deliverance  from  the  curse  of  sin. 
Christ  came  to  fulfill  all  for  us;  our  fulfilment  will  not 
avail.  He  is  our  Savior,  for  He  secured  a  perfect  right- 
eousness by  doing  all  and  suffering  all  that  the  law  de- 
mands, and  this  He  did  for  us.  This  is  the  perfect  right- 
eousness which  the  Gospel  offers  and  which  faith  em- 
braces. It  is  the  better  righteousness,  which  consists  in 
the  perfect  fulfilment  of  the  will  of  God,  so  that  every 


THE  BETTER  RIGHTEOUSNESS.  125 

demand  which  God  makes  upon  man  is  fully  satisfied. 
But  it  is  our  Savior's  fulfilment  and  His  satisfaction, 
not  our  own,  and  the  glory  is  His,  not  ours.  "For  by 
grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith;  and  that  not  of  your- 
selves: it  is  the  gift  of  God:  not  of  works,  lest  any  man 
should  boast."  Eph.  2,  9  .  10. 

It  is  therefore  a  perversion  of  our  Lord's  teaching 
when  His  exposition  of  the  law  and  His  demand  of  a 
better  righteousness  than  that  of  the  scribes  and  Phar- 
isees is  represented  as  a  doctrine  of  justification  by  the 
deeds  of  the  law.    He  does  teach  that  the  law  is  good  and 
should  be  obeyed,  and  He  came  not  to  destroy,  but  to 
fulfill  it.     What  He  rebuked  in  the  Pharisees  was  never 
their  inculcation  of  good  works  according  to  the  law,  but 
their  corruption  of  the  law  and  their  shallow  notions  of 
good  works,  which  defeated  its  holy  purpose.     Nor  did 
He  ever  intimate  that  good  works  are  not  necessary.    On 
the  contrary,  He  taught  the  importance  of  them  as  re- 
quired by  the  will  of  God,  only  antagonizing  the  Phar- 
isaic perversions  which  eliminated  the  will  of  God  and 
rendered  their  pretended  good  works  a  cheat.     In   His 
kingdom  the  true  holiness  which  the  law  requires  has  its 
appropriate  place.     In  this  He  provides  by   His  grace, 
through  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  for  a  devout  life  of  obedi- 
ence to  the  will  of  God,  such  as  nature  cannot  render. 
"For  we  are  His  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus 
unto  good  works,  which  God  hath  before  ordained  that 
we  should  walk  in  them,"  Eph.  2,  10.     But  never  did  He 
speak  a  word  that  could  justify  the  belief  that  salvation 
is  secured  by  these  good  works.     He  came  to  fulfill  all 
the  law  and  the  prophets  in  our  stead  and  in  our  behalf 
as  our  Savior.     He  thus  acquired   a   perfect  righteous- 
ness for  us,  which  we  might  appropriate  by  faith  unto 
our  salvation.    This  is  the  righteousness  of  God  by  faith, 
which  is  our  only  hope.    His  fulfilment,  not  ours,  satisfies 
the  righteousness  of  God,  and  that  fulfilment  is  set  down 


I 


126  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

to  our  account  when  we  believe  the  Gospel  which  offers 
it  for  our  acceptance.  "Where  is  boasting  then?  It  is 
excluded.  By  what  law?  of  works?  Nay,  but  by  the  law 
of  faith.  Therefore  we  conclude  that  a  man  is  justified 
by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law."    Rom.  3,  27.  28. 


a 


SECTION  V. 

The  Law  Illostrated, 

(Matthew  5,  21-37). 

FTEK  showing  that  the  Pharisaic  interpretation 
of  the  law  was  so  superficial  as  to  undermine  it, 
and  that  the  commandments  of  men  were  foisted 
in  as  a  substitute,  and,  in  opposition  to  this  perversion, 
setting  forth  its  true  meaning  as  the  revelation  of  God's 
holy  will  requiring  holiness  of  men,  Christ  illustrates  His 
teaching  by  various  examples.  It  may  be  necessary  to 
remind  some  readers  that  our  Lord's  explication  of  the 
law  is  directed  against  the  false  literalism  and  manifest 
perversion  of  the  Pharisees,  not  against  the  law"  itself 
as  given  by  Moses.  Those  certainly  err  who  assume  that 
the  law  was  imperfect  and  that  Christ  perfected  it  by 
making  additions  and  amplifications,  as  if  that  which 
was  lacking  in  the  Jewish  apprehension  of  its  meaning 
had  been  lacking  in  its  original  import.  It  never  was  de- 
signed to  be  a  mere  rule  of  outward  action,  w'ithout  re- 
gard to  the  hearts  of  the  persons  acting.  I'o  the  Jewish 
people  who  sinned,  it  w\as  said  in  tlie  days  of  Moses: 
"The  Lord  will  again  rejoice  over  thee  for  good,  as  He 
rejoiced  over  thy  fathers,  if  thou  shalt  hearken  to  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  to  keep  His  commandments 
and  His  statutes  w^hich  are  written  in  this  book  of  the 
law,  and  if  thou  turn  unto  the  Lord  with  all  thine  heart 
and  all  thy  soul."  Deut.  30,  9.  10.  It  was  addressed  to 
the  heart  from  the  beginning,  as  Christ  referred  it  to  the 
heart.  It  always  meant  that  men  should  be  holy,  for  the 
Lord  our  God  is  holy.  Nothing  can  be  lacking  in  its  re- 
quirement in  that  respect.     "The  law  of  the  Lord  is 

127 


128  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

perfect,  converting  the  soul;  the  testimony  of  the  Lord 
is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple;  the  statutes  of  the 
Lord  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart;  the  commandment 
of  God  is  pure,  enlightening  the  eyes."  Ps.  19,  7.  8. 
When  our  Lord  showed  the  Pharisees  their  delinquencies, 
it  was  not  by  making  demands  upon  them  which  the 
venerable  law  of  Moses  did  not  make.  He  simply  in- 
culcated what  that  holy  law  required,  and  made  manifest 
their  shortcomings  and  transgressions  in  doctrine  and 
practice  as  measured  by  that  divine  rule.  He  was  not 
the  giver  of  a  new  law  which  should  supplant  the  old. 
The  old  was  perfect,  and  what  He  desired  ^vcls  that  they 
should  hear  and  learn  and  understand  it,  and,  seeing 
their  sin,  should  be  brought  by  His  grace  to  a  better 
righteousness  than  that  which  they  had  conceived  and 
of  which  they  were  making  their  puerile  boast.  He  had 
indeed  a  work  to  do  in  regard  to  the  law,  to  which  He 
was  obedient  unto  death;  and  He  was  engaged  in  that 
work  when  He  made  clear  the  meaning  of  the  law  and 
applied  it  for  the  accomplishment  of  its  divine  purpose. 
He  it  was  to  whom  the  words  of  Moses  referred  when  he 
said  to  the  Israelites:  "The  Lord  thy  God  will  raise  up 
unto  thee  a  Prophet  from  the  midst  of  thee,  of  thy 
brethren,  like  unto  me:  unto  Him  ye  shall  hearken." 
Deut.  18,  15.  He  came  not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil  the 
law,  that  by  His  grace  we  might  receive  as  a  free  gift  the 
salvation  which  under  the  law  we  could  not  attain. 
"For  what  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak 
through  the  flesh,  God,  sending  His  own  Son  in  the  like- 
ness of  sinful  flesh  and  for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the 
flesh,  that  the  righteousness  of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled 
in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit." 
Rom.  8,  3.  4.  Christ's  fulfilment  of  the  law  was  in  our 
stead,  that  His  righteousness  might  be  imparted  to  us 
through  faith,  and  that  in  consequence  of  this  vicarious 
fulfilment  we  might  receive  His  Spirit  to  lead  us  in  the 


THE   LAW    ILLUSTRATED.  129 

way  of  holiness  which  He  walked  and  which  the  law 
sets  forth. 

This  law  of  holiness  is  summed  up  in  the  great  com- 
maiuiment  that  we  should  love  God  with  all  our  heart 
and  soul  and  mind  and  strength,  and  the  second,  which  is 
like  unto  it,  that  we  should  love  our  neighbor  as  our- 
selves. Christ  recognized  this  as  the  true  meaning  of  the 
law,  and  thus  declared  it  to  be  perfect,  wheu  He  said  to 
the  lawyer  tempting  Him.  "This  do,  and  thou  shalt 
live."  Luke  10,  25-28.  If  any  one  did  this,  and  thus 
wei'e  perfect  as  our  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect,  nothing 
else  would  be  needed  to  obtain  eternal  life.  T(^  under- 
staud  our  Lord's  exposition  of  the  law,  His  summary  of 
its  fundamental  meaning,  and  its  primary  piirjjose  to 
work  in  us  a  knowledge  of  our  sin  and  our  need  of  a 
Savior,  must  be  kept  in  mind. 

1.  The  exposition  begins  with  the  fifth  command- 
ment: "Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old 
time,  Thou  shalt  not  kill,  and  whosoever  shall  kill  shall 
be  in  danger  of  the  judgment."  No  fault  is  found  with 
this.  But  when  the  Pharisees  understood  it  to  mean 
simply  the  external  act  of  destroying  the  life  of  a  fellow 
man,  they  missed  the  mind  of  God  entirely.  He  deals 
with  persons,  not  merely  with  their  outward  actions,  and 
X'equires  these  persons,  not  only  their  actions,  to  be  right 
and  good.  Hence  our  Lord  continues:  "But  I  say  unto 
you,  that  whosoever  is  angry  with  his  brother  without 
a  cause  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment;  and  whoso- 
ever shall  say  to  his  brother,  Baca,  shall  be  in  danger  of 
the  council;  but  whosoever  shall  say.  Thou  fool,  shall  be 
in  danger  of  hell  fire."  He  does  not  set  His  saying  in 
opposition  to  the  commandment  in  the  decalogue  nor  to 
the  i)enalty  attached  by  J(^wish  laws  to  its  transgression. 
But  He  does  declare  that  the  Pharisaic  system  of  ex- 
ternalism  and  work-righteousness  overlooked  the  most 
important  matter  of  the  divine  law,  which  requires  per- 

9 


130  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

sonal  obedience  in  harmony  with  its  lioly  intent,  and  that 
the  transgression  is  first  in  the  heart  of  man  before  it 
becomes  an  outward  act.  This  inward  transgression, 
whether  it  becomes  manifest  in  external  action  or  not,  is 
sin,  and  merits  the  punishment  due  to  the  transgressor. 
Not  only  the  sinful  act  is  condemned  by  the  law.  That 
condemnation  is  terrible,  but  it  would  be  comparatively 
lenient  if  it  did  not  extend  to  the  persons  who  perform  it. 
It  is  upon  these  that  the  penalty  falls.  "Unto  them  that 
are  contentious  and  do  not  obey  the  truth,  but  obey  un- 
righteousness, indignation  and  wrath,  tribulation  and 
anguish  upon  every  soul  of  man  that  doeth  evil,"  Rom. 
2,  8.  9.  The  superficiality  which  contemplates  the  law  as 
nothing  more  than  a  prescribed  form  of  good  works  in 
the  outward  conduct,  and  can  therefore  see  guilt  only  in 
external  actions  as  the  eye  discerns  them,  makes  void 
tlie  law  in  its  spiritual  import,  and  thus  practically  de- 
stroys it.  Our  Savior  came  to  fulfill  it,  and  to  this  end 
first  rescues  it  from  carnal  perversions  and  sets  fortli 
its  true  import  and  meaning. 

It  was  in  pursuance  of  their  shallow  conception  of 
righteousness  and  their  system  of  meritorious  deeds  in 
conformity  with  prescribed  rules  of  conduct  that  Jewish 
teachers  distinguished  certain  degrees  of  guilt  attaching 
to  violations  of  the  law,  and  various  corresponding  pen- 
alties. To  such  degrees  our  Lord  refers  when  He  says 
that  not  only  the  literal  murderer  shall  be  in  danger  of 
the  judgment,  as  the  rabbis  maintain,  but  that  one  who 
is  angry  with  his  brother  shall  be  exposed  to  such  dan- 
ger, while  giving  utterance  to  the  inward  malice,  in  words 
of  reproach  and  condemnation,  such  as  "Eaca,"  or  worth- 
less fellow,  "Thou  fool,"  or  ungodly  person,  shall  be 
in  danger  of  the  higher  court  or  of  hell  fire.  Of  course 
the  design  is  not  to  teach  that  the  wages  of  sin  can  in 
any  case  be  other  than  death,  and  distinctions  of  guilt 
and  penalty  are  not  made  or  accepted  with  such  an  im- 


THE   LAW    ILLUSTRATED.  131 

plication;  but  our  Lord  would  have  His  hearers  under- 
stand, that  the  sin  against  the  commandment  is  com- 
mitted when  murderous  thoughts  and  feelings  are  har- 
bored against  a  brother,  and  that  before  corresponding- 
deeds  are  done  with  tongue  or  hand  the  person  is  guilty 
of  death.  This  being  accepted,  account  may  properly  be 
made  of  differences  according  to  our  Lord's  words :  "That 
servant  which  knew  his  Lord's  will  and  prepared  not 
himself,  neither  did  according  to  His  will  shall  be  beaten 
with  many  stripes.  But  he  that  knew  not,  and  did  things 
worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few  stripes.  For 
unto  whomsoever  much  is  given,  of  him  shall  be  much  re- 
quired." Luke  12,  47  .  -18.  The  error  of  the  self-righteous 
Pharisees  lay  not  in  the  recognition  of  this  rule,  but  in 
making  a  distinction  between  the  laws  of  God,  as  if  some 
were  more  holy  than  others,  and  the  violation  of  some 
were  therefore  less  worthy  of  punishment  than  that  of 
others.  They  did  not  recognize  the  eternal  banishment 
from  the  presence  of  God  as  due  to  all  sin,  and  the  de- 
grees of  punishment  as  pertaining  to  that  state  of  per- 
dition, and  in  this  proportioned  to  the  degree  of  personal 
wickedness  attaching  to  the  sin,  but  thought  that  the 
eternal  death  which  is  the  wages  of  sin  might  be  es- 
caped because  of  the  lesser  guilt  that  would  subject  to 
fewer  stripes.  It  is  the  same  error  into  which  many 
Christians  suffer  themselves  to  be  enticed  when  they  im- 
agine that,  though  they  may  not  have  the  faith  which 
alone  can  save,  their  good  works  will  be  rewarded  in 
heaven,  and  that,  though  they  remain  in  unbelief  and 
thus  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  they  shall 
escape  the  damnation  of  hell  because  their  sins  are  not 
of  that  glaring  and  crying  sort  that  would  subject  them 
to  many  stripes.  Whatever  difference  may  be  made,  sin 
is  the  transgression  of  God's  law,  and  the  wages  of  sin 
is  death,  from  which  only  the  Laml)  of  God  that  taketh 
away  the  sins  of  the  world  can  release  us. 


132  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

As  regards  the  commandment,  ''Thou  shalt  not  kill," 
our  Lord  mentions  three  degrees;  beginning  with  anger, 
as  the  murderous  affection  of  the  heart  that  may  at  any 
moment  break  out  in  the  murderous  external  act  of  kill- 
ing, proceeding  next  to  the  expression  of  this  in  vs'ords 
of  disdain,  and  ending  in  the  vilification  which  is  mur- 
der with  the  tongue,  not  mentioning  the  actual  destruc- 
tion of  life  which  even  a  Pharisee  could  perceive  to  be 
a  violation  of  the  commandment.  "Whosoever  is  angry 
with  his  brother  without  a  cause  shall  be  in  danger  of 
the  judgment."  What  the  Jews  regarded  as  the  just  pen- 
alty of  murder,  our  Lord  pronounces  due  to  anger.  It  is 
the  stirring  of  the  evil  lust  within,  which,  when  it  has 
conceived,  brings  forth  sin  in  the  external  act.  Not  all 
anger,  not  anger  of  every  description  is  meant,  but  anger 
without  a  just  cause.  Even  if  the  words  "without  a 
cause,"  which  is  not  found  in  some  manuscripts,  were  not 
in  the  text,  the  connection  and  the  analogy  of  faith  would 
show  that  this  is  meant.  For  anger  is  not  always  sinful. 
"God  is  angry  with  the  wicked  every  day,"  Ps.  7,  11.  Our 
Savior,  in  dealing  with  His  unreasonable  and  persistent 
enemies,  "looked  round  about  on  them  with  anger,  being 
grieved  for  the  hardness  of  their  hearts,"  Mark  3,  5.  St. 
Paul  implies  that  Christians  may  be  stirred  to  anger  by 
the  unrighteousness  of  men  without  sinning,  when  he 
says :  "Be  ye  angry,  and  sin  not :  let  not  the  sun  go  down 
upon  your  wrath,  neither  give  place  to  the  devil,"  Eph. 
4,  26  .  27.  We  cannot  love  the  right  and  the  good  without 
hating  the  wrong  and  the  bad.  But  we  must  see  to  it  that 
our  anger  at  wickedness  does  not,  by  nursing  it  in  a  heart 
that  is  not  perfectly  purified,  become  a  motive  of  our 
flesh ;  and  hence  the  admonition  not  to  harbor  it  against 
offenders  and  by  the  instigation  of  Satan  permit  it  to 
become  embittered  and  enraged,  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
love  which  we  owe  to  our  enemies.     That  is  the  carnal 


THE   LAW    ILLUSTRATED.  133 

anger  that  is  murderous,  tliat  is  forbidden  in  the  fifth 
commandnient,  and  that  puts  us  in  danger  of  the  judg- 
ment. It  is  the  loveless  and  unreasonable  anger  of  the 
flesh,  that  impels  to  wrong-doing  in  word  and  work,  as 
it  is  itself  a  condition  of  the  heart  that  is  sin  because  in 
conflict  with  love.  "Now  je  also  put  off  all  these:  anger, 
wrath,  malice,  blasphemy,  filthy  communication  out  of 
your  mouth,''  Col.  3,  8.  The  love  of  Ood  is  shed  abroad 
in  our  hearts  when  grace  has  renewed  us,  so  that  the  ill- 
will  which  is  begotten  of  the  flesh  cannot  be  allowed  to 
make  its  abode  there.  "Whosoever  hateth  his  brother  is 
a  murderer,  and  ye  know  that  no  murderer  hath  eternal 
life  abiding  in  him,"  1  John  3,  15.  When  we  become 
angry,  and  permit  the  sun  to  go  down  upon  our  wrath, 
the  affection  runs  to  evil,  and  sinful  acts  result.  "For 
the  wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  righteousness  of  God." 
Hence  our  Lord  points  out  two  other  forms  of  murder, 
which  are  both  utterances  by  means  of  words,  though  in 
two  degrees  of  unkindness  and  uncharitableness,  and 
both  effects  of  that  anger  and  wrath  that  are  murder  in 
the  evil  heart.  Saying  to  a  brother  Kaca,  means  to  de- 
nounce him  as  a  good-for-nothing,  with  whom  it  is  best 
to  have  nothing  to  do.  The  man  who  does  this  augments 
the  sin  of  his  heart  by  giving  vent  to  its  anger,  and  thus 
enhancing  his  guilt  puts  himself  in  danger  of  the  council 
or  a  higher  court  with  a  prospect  of  heavier  punishment. 
"But  whosoever  shall  say,  Thou  fool,  shall  be  in  danger 
of  hell-fire."  The  name  indicates  more  than  a  trifling 
idler,  of  whom  it  would  be  useless  to  expect  any  good.  It 
means  a  wicked  person,  from  whom  only  harm  can  be 
expected,  and  the  angry  application  of  the  term  to  a 
brother  is  therefore  a  vilification  that  destroys  his  good 
name.  "If  any  man  among  you  seem  to  be  religious  and 
bridleth  not  his  tongue,  but  deceiveth  his  own  heart,  this 
man's   religion   is   vain,"   James   1,   26.      The   fifth    com- 


134  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

mandment  is  violated  every  day  by  the  lovelessness  of 
our  hearts  and  our  words,  though  we  may  never  have 
laid  hands  on  any  one  to  inflict  a  bodily  injury. 

After  explaining  the  commandment  our  Lord  adds 
some  important  instructions  in  cases  where  it  has  been 
violated,  giving  directions  both  to  those  who  have  done 
and  those  who  have  suffered  wrong.  "Therefore  if  thou 
bring  thy  gift  to  the  altar,  and  there  rememberest  that 
thy  brother  hath  ought  against  thee,  leave  there  thy  gift 
before  the  altar  and  go  thy  way:  first  be  reconciled  to 
thy  brother  and  then  come  and  offer  thy  gift.  Agree 
with  thine  adversary  quickly,  whilst  thou  art  in  the  way 
with  him,  lest  at  any  time  the  adversary  deliver  thee  to 
the  judge,  and  the  judge  deliver  thee  to  the  officer,  and 
thou  be  cast  into  prison.  Verily  I  say  unto  thee.  Thou 
Shalt  by  no  means  come  out  thence  till  thou  hast  paid 
the  uttermost  farthing." 

The  Christian  will  not  let  the  sun  go  down  upon  his 
wrath  and  by  hating  his  brother  become  a  murderer.  If 
he  is  aware  that  between  him  and  a  brother  there  is  a 
barrier  that  stands  in  the  way  of  that  cordiality  which 
should  exist  between  brethren,  he  will  be  moved  by  the 
Spirit  of  Christ  that  is  in  him,  not  only  to  cast  out  the 
uncharitableness  as  the  obstacle  in  his  own  soul,  but  also 
to  remove  whatever  obstacle  to  a  complete  reconciliation 
there  may  be  in  his  brother.  The  Church  has  paid  good 
heed  to  the  Lord's  instruction  and  applied  it  especially 
in  her  communion  practice,  requiring  communicants  to 
have  peace  among  themselves,  and  such  as  have  aught 
against  a  brother  to  be  reconciled  before  approaching  the 
sacrament  of  the  altar.  An  unconciliatory  disposition 
is  a  bar  to  loving  fellowship  with  brethren,  as  it  is  a  bar 
to  loving  communion  with  God,  and  is  rightly  regarded 
as  constituting  un worthiness  to  commune  with  the  Savior 
in  the  Holy  Supper.  The  attempts'  of  the  guilty  to  ex- 
cuse or  justify  their  fault  by  setting  aside  the  law  of  love, 


THE    LAW    ILLUSTRATED.  liio 

and  appoa]in<4  to  what  seems  to  them  a  sense  of  justice, 
cannot  avail  before  the  Church,  as  it  cannot  avail  before 
God.  To  say  tliat  if  your  brother  hath  auji^ht  against  you, 
it  is  his  duty  to  come  to  you  and  tell  you  your  fault,  is 
quite  correct.  So  the  Lord  wills  and  so  He  has  command- 
ed :  "If  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against  thee,  go  and 
tell  him  his  fault  between  thee  and  him  alone."  Matt. 
18,  15.  This  must  be  done,  and  he  sins  who  refuses  to  do 
it.  But  a  reconciliation  must  take  place,  or  brotlierly 
fellowship  must  cease.  If  therefore  thou  rememberest  that 
thy  brother  hath  aught  against  thee  the  necessary  recon- 
ciliation, which  is  of  course  obligatory  on  both,  has  not 
taken  place.  If  he  has  not  come  to  you  and  told  you 
your  fault,  he  has  not  done  his  duty;  but  this  does  not 
excuse  you  from  doing  yours.  There  is  still  hope  of  a 
reconciliation  if  you  will  go  to  him.  And  if  he  has  come 
to  you  and  failed  to  remove  the  barrier  between  you,  all 
the  more  reason  is  there  that  you  should  now  go  to  him 
and  try  to  remove  it.  The  duty  to  be  reconciled  lies  ui>on 
both,  and  each  must  do  what  he  can  to  effect  the  reconcili- 
ation. 

The  possibility  is  recognized  that  when  all  that  is  re- 
quired towards  effecting  it  is  done,  the  object  is  not  at- 
tained. Some  souls  are  not  conciliatory  and  all  the  efforts 
of  love  to  bring  about  harmony  may  fail.  "If  it  be  pos- 
sible, as  much  as  lieth  in  you,  live  peaceably  with  all 
men."  Rom.  12,  18.  Sometimes  it  does  not  lie  in  us 
and  is  not  possible.  "I  am  for  peace,  but  when  I  speak  they 
are  for  war."  Ps.  120,  7.  Either  the  offender  or  the  offended 
may  prove  stubborn  and  refractory.  Among  brethren 
in  the  Church  this  must  lead  to  separation.  The  unrecon- 
ciled parties  cannot  commune  together  in  spite  of  their 
dissension.  The  fellowship  must  cease  when  the  heart 
persists  in  its  grudge  and  will  not  be  reconciled.  Hence 
our  Lord  has  given  further  instructions  for  church  dis- 
cipline, commanding  that,  if  the  trespassing  brother  is 


136  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

not  gained  by  private  interviews,  he  shall  be  admonished 
in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  and  if  this  prove  ineffectual, 
to  "Tell  it  unto  the  churcli;  but  if  he  will  not  hear  the 
church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  a  heathen  man  and  a  pub- 
lican." Matt.  18,  15-18.  In  the  sermon  before  us  Christ 
sets  forth  the  process  under  the  image  of  a  court,  in  which 
the  person  unreconciled  with  his  adversary  is  represented 
as  subject  to  imprisonment  until  the  difficulty  is  settled. 
Tlie  obvious  meaning  of  this  is  that  if  men  continue  to 
harbor  murder  in  their  hearts,  they  will  die  in  their  sin 
and  forever  perish  under  the  condemnation  of  the  law ;  for 
only  those  who  repent  and  believe  the  Gospel  can  escape 
the  curse. 

II.  The  second  illustration  which  the  sermon  gives 
is  that  of  the  sixth  commandment.  "Ye  have  heard  that 
it  was  said  of  them  of  old  time,  Thou  shalt  not  commit 
adultery.  But  I  say  unto  you,  that  whosover  looketh  on 
a  woman  to  lust  after  her  hath  committed  adultery  with 
her  already  in  his  heart."  God's  ordinance  from  the  begin- 
ning was  that,  as  He  created  mankind  male  and  female,  the 
latter  being  a  helpmeet  for  the  former,  the  man  and  wife 
should  live  together  as  one  flesh;  and  "God  blessed  them, 
and  God  said  unto  them.  Be  fruitful  and  multif)ly,  and 
replenish  the  earth."  Gen.  1,  28.  This  is  the  divine  plan 
for  the  propagation  of  the  species ;  and  all  the  acts  of  man, 
outside  of  this  ordinance  of  marriage,  tending  to  this 
propagation  by  the  use  of  the  organs  created  for  this  pur- 
pose, are  violations  of  the  divine  purpose  and  abuses  of 
the  divine  gift.  One  man  and  one  woman  shall  be  joined 
as  husband  and  wife  and  "they  twain  shall  be  one  flesh." 
The  blessing  of  God  upon  this  union  is  the  birth  of  chil- 
dren. Only  in  this  relation  is  this  birth  legitimate.  Co- 
habitation of  the  sexes  aside  from  this  marriage  relation, 
in  which  one  man  and  one  women  pledge  fidelity  to  each 
other,  is  forbidden,  and  specially  the.  cohabitation  of  man 


THE    LAW    ILLUSTRATED.  137 

or  wife  with  others  than  their  spouse,  is  the  sin  of  adul- 
tery. 

The  sexual  organs  and  their  use  must  be  restricted 
to  the  divine  purpose  as  made  known  to  us  by  our  Maker, 
and  the  intelligent  creature,  if  he  would  stand  in  com- 
munion with  God  and  enjoy  its  blessedness  in  time  and 
eternity,  must  observe  the  divine  order  prescribed  for  the 
attainment  of  the  divine  purpose.  Adultery  counteracts 
and  defeats  that  purpose  by  violating  that  order.  It  is 
the  prostitution  of  powers  given  for  the  service  of  God, 
to  the  gratification  of  carnal  lust.  The  sinfulness  of  it 
was  acknowledged  by  the  Jewish  people,  and  Christ  had 
no  need  to  inform  them  that  it  was  justly  prohibited  and 
punished.  But  there  was  need,  as  in  the  case  of  the  fifth 
commandment,  to  impress  upon  their  minds  the  fact,  that 
the  law  contemplated  more  than  the  prohibition  of  such 
acts  of  prostitution,  and  there  is  need  to  impress  tliis  upon 
our  minds  and  those  of  all  people.  The  will  of  God  has 
always  been :  "My  son,  give  me  thy  heart,  and  let  thine 
eyes  observe  my  ways."  Prov.  23,  20.  This  the  Jewish 
teachers  generally  disregarded,  and  this  even  Christian 
people  too  often  disregard  now.  Therefore  our  Lord  sets 
forth  the  deeper  spiritual  import  of  the  commandment: 
''But  I  say  unto  you,  that  whosoever  looketh  on  a  woman 
to  lust  after  her  hath  committed  adultery  with  her  already 
in  his  lieart."  That  is  the  truth  that  we  must  learn,  both 
that  the  law  may  do  its  work  of  showing  us  our  sin  and 
thus  preparing  us  to  repent  and  believe  the  Gospel,  and 
of  showing  us  the  way  of  holiness,  and  thus  pointing  out 
how  believers  ought  to  walk  and  please  God.  There  is  no 
ascetic  suggestion  in  the  Savior's  words.  He  does  not 
say  that  looking  on  a  woman,  the  admiration  of  wliose 
beauty  may  be  as  innocent  as  the  admiration  of  beauty 
in  other  forms  of  nature,  or  in  art,  is  a  sin;  but  looking 
on  a  woman  to  lust  after,  is  adultery,  and  is  therefore  con- 


138  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

demnecl  as  sin  by  the  diAnne  law,  which  requires  holiness. 
It  is  adultery  in  the  heart,  which  God  sees  and  judges, 
and  which  therefore  does  not  need  to  become  manifest  in 
the  outward  act  before  it  can  be  subject  to  the  condemna- 
tion of  God's  law.  We  are  not  truly  penitent  as  long  as 
we  refuse  to  acknowledge  the  sinfulness  of  the  heart  with 
its  evil  lust ;  and  we  do  not  walk  after  the  mind  of  Christ 
in  true  faith  as  long  as  we  are  indifferent  to  the  motions 
of  sin  within  us,  as  if  the  law  denounced  penalties  only 
on  sinful  acts,  not  sinful  persons.  Therefore  "fornication 
and  all  uncleanness,  or  covetousness,  let  it  not  be  once 
named  among  you,  as  becometh  saints;  neither  fiithiness 
nor  foolish  talking  and  jesting,  which  are  not  convenient." 
Eph.  3,  3.  4.  "They  that  are  Christ's  have  crucified  the 
flesh  with  the  affections  and  lusts."  Gal.  5,  24.  "Mor- 
tify therefore  your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth : 
fornication,  uncleanness,  inordinate  affection,  evil  con- 
cupiscence, and  covetousness,  which  is  idolatry;  for  which 
things'  sake  the  wrath  of  God  cometh  on  the  children  of 
disobedience."     Col.  3,  5.  6. 

The  sermon  refers  to  the  necessity  of  self-denial  and 
self-crucifixion,  which  is  inculcated  in  the  cited  apostolic 
words,  when  it  goes  on  to  say:  "If  thy  right  eye  offend 
thee,  pluck  it  out  and  cast  it  from  thee ;  for  it  is  profitable 
for  thee  that  one  of  thy  members  should  perish,  and  not 
that  thy  whole  body  should  be  cast  into  hell.  And  if  thy 
right  hand  offend  thee,  cut  it  off  and  cast  it  from  thee; 
for  it  is  profitable  that  one  of  thy  members  should  perish, 
and  not  thy  whole  body  should  be  cast  into  hell."  Our 
Lord  makes  His  meaning  plain  by  using  a  comparison. 
If  an  eye  be  diseased  and  threatens  to  destroy  life,  or  a 
hand  be  crippled  and  menaces  the  poisoning  of  the  whole 
body,  the  way  of  wisdom  is  to  pluck  out  or  cut  off  the 
menacing  member,  rather  than  to  sacrifice  the  whole  body 
and  lose  the  life,  with  which  all  would  be  lost.  So  if  the 
lust  arises  \\'ithin  us  and  presses  for  gratification,  it  must 


THE   LAW   ILLUSTRATED.  139 

be  resisted  with  all  the  power  of  the  grace  given  us, 
though  the  conflict  be  painful  and  the  victory  over  sin  be 
attainable  only  by  a  sacrifice  comparable  to  that  of  losing 
an  eye  or  a  hand  to  save  the  bodily  life.  That  is  what  the 
apostle  Paul  means  when  he  applies  the  terms  mortify 
and  crucify  to  the  treatment  of  the  carnal  propensities  in 
our  nature.  The  evil  lust,  the  sinful  concupiscence  must 
not  be  condoned.  Excusing  them  as  unavoidable,  justify- 
ing them  as  natural,  pleading  for  their  toleration  as  in- 
firmities which  are  birth-marks,  for  which  we  have  no 
remedy,  are  only  wiles  of  the  devil  to  keep  us  in  the 
chains  of  sin.  The  remedy  is  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of 
God  in  Christ.  Tiying  to  better  our  corrupt  nature  by 
syrups  of  reason  and  sense  is  a  vain  expedient.  The  caji- 
cer  must  be  eradicated.  And  that  hurts.  Eepent  and 
believe  the  Gospel,  and  having  thus  entered  into  the  king- 
dom of  God  by  faith  in  Christ's  fulfillment  of  the  whole 
law  in  our  stead,  and  received  the  Spirit  of  adoption  as 
children  of  God  who  are  free  from  the  bondage  and  the 
curse  of  the  law ;  you  will  tolerate  no  sin,  but  will  fight  it 
unto  the  death,  not  taking  the  conflict  with  it  easy,  but 
crucifying  the  flesh  with  its  affections  and  lusts,  and  yet 
all  the  while  retaining  the  peace  of  God  which  comes  by 
believing  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  us  from  all 
sin.  Our  Lord  would  have  us  to  know  the  exceeding  sin- 
fulness of  sin,  that  we  might  come  to  Him  and  find  rest 
for  our  souls  in  the  great  salvation  which  He  has  wrought 
for  us  by  His  vicarious  fulfillment  of  the  law,  and  there 
in  companionship  with  Him  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith 
against  the  world  and  the  flesh  and  the  devil.  We  may 
thus  receive  many  a  wound  and  bear  many  a  scar  in  the 
battle,  but  can  always  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  glory  through 
the  victory  which  He  has  won.  Pluck  out  the  eye  and  cut 
off  the  hand  that  would  keep  you  in  the  bondage  of  sin 
and  Satan  and  separate  you  from  our  blessed  Lord  in 
whom  alone  is  salvation. 


140  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

In  connection  with  the  sixth  commandment  the  sub- 
ject of  divorce  is  introduced,  because  one  of  the  forms  of 
its  violation  is  unfaithfulness  to  the  marriage  vow.  "It 
hath  been  said,  whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  let 
him  give  her  a  writing  of  divorcement;  but  I  say  unto 
you,  that  whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  saving  for 
the  cause  of  fornication,  causeth  her  to  commit  adultery, 
and  whosoever  shall  marry  her  that  is  divorced  commit- 
eth  adultery."  The  Jewish  teachers  made  divorces  easy; 
in  opposition  to  their  laxity  and  levity  our  Lord  declares 
that  there  is  but  one  cause  for  divorce,  and  that  is  fornica- 
tion, which  is  becoming  one  flesh  with  another  than  the 
wife  or  husband  whom  God  has  joined  together  for  life. 
It  is  the  one  sin  which  breaks  the  tie  that  binds  the  twain 
together. 

While  the  sin  against  this  commandment,  like  every 
other,  has  its  seat  in  the  corrupt  heart  and  the  command- 
ment is  frequently  violated  by  married  persons  as  well  as 
by  others,  divorce  can  refer  only  to  acts  that  become 
known.  Like  marriage  it  is  so  far  of  a  public  character 
that  those  who  lawfully  live  together  as  man  and  wife 
must  be  recognized  as  such  in  the  community,  and  when 
the  marital  relations  and  the  restrictions  which  it  imposes 
are  to  cease,  the  same  public  recognition  of  the  divorce 
is  necessary.  As  a  matter  essentially  of  a  civil  character, 
the  civil  government  must  necessarily  deal  with  marriage 
and  divorce,  and  is  of  course  confined  in  such  dealing  to 
the  external  acts.  The  two  lawfully  married  to  each  other 
remain  man  and  wife  until  death,  unless  the  bond  is 
broken  by  adultery ;  and  when  they  are  ostensibly  divorced 
on  other  grounds,  either  commits  adultery  by  marrying 
another,  because  in  God's  sight  the  two  are  still  joined 
together,  and  neither  is  free  to  marry  another.  Chris- 
tians can  of  course  be  bound  in  conscience  only  by  the 
Word  of  God,  and  can  therefore  not  recognize  every  mar- 
riage and  divorce  which  has  the  sanction  of  the  state  under 


THE    LAW    ILLUSTRATED.  141 

whose  laws  they  live,  although  they  will  obey  these  laws 
so  far  as  it  does  not  require  them  to  do  what  the  Scrip- 
tures forbid.  They  must  obey  God  rather  than  men,  and 
patiently  bear  the  consequences  of  such  religious  fidelity. 
But  the  diflficulty  in  this  regard  is  not  as  great  as  it  seems 
to  some  persons,  for  the  state  has  no  authority  and  no  abil- 
ity to  regulate  our  hearts,  and  has  no  purpose  to  interfere 
with  our  convictions  or  sentiments,  as  long  as  our  actions 
do  not  conflict  with  its  laws.  In  lands  of  enlightenment 
full  liberty  is  accorded  even  to  express  convictions  in  op- 
position to  established  laws  and  strive  by  argument  and 
persuasion  to  effect  their  amendment.  A  minister  of  the 
Church  is  not  required  to  solemnize  a  marriage  or  to  rec- 
ognize a  divorce  which  the  Word  of  God  forbids,  though 
the  laws  of  the  land  sanction  it.  The  civil  government 
authorizes  him  to  act  in  the  premises,  but  does  not  com- 
mand him  to  act,  and  can  charge  no  disloyalty  if  he  de- 
clines to  act  when  his  conscience  bids  him  decline.  Ques- 
tions of  casuistry  may  arise  from  this  source  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  Church's  discipline,  but  tliey  are  not 
as  numerous  as  is  frequently  supposed,  and  the  difficul- 
ties attending  them  are  not  insurmountable.  At  any  rate 
the  princii)le  must  be  upheld  at  whatever  cost,  "We  ought 
to  obey  God  ratlier  than  men."  Acts  5,  29.  Of  more 
importance  for  the  daily  life  of  Christians  is  the  divine 
instruction  to  keep  our  hearts  pure  by  the  grace  of  our 
Savior,  and  "fear  and  love  God  that  we  may  lead  a  chaste 
and  decent  life  in  word  and  deed,  and  each  love  and  honor 
his  spouse.'" 

III.  In  further  illustration  of  the  spiritual  meaning 
of  the  law  the  Savior  turns  to  the  second  commandment: 
"Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in 
vain,  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless  that  taketh 
His  name  in  vain."  The  subject  selected  for  particular  ex- 
position under  this  head  is  that  of  the  oath.  It  appears 
that  the  Pharisees,  in  pursuance  of  their  work-righteous 


142  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

principle,    which   was    fundamentally   false    because    it 
lacked  all  spiritual  insight  into  the  holy  will  of  God  and 
the  holy  purpose  of  the  law,  thought  the  law  fulfilled  if 
only  they  did  not  break  an  oath  in  which  God  was  called 
to  witness,  supposing  that  oaths  by  other  objects  were  of 
no  consequence  and  their  violation  would  not  be  imputed 
as  sins.     The  Mosaic  law  says:     "Ye  shall  not  swear  by 
my  name  falsely,  neither  shalt  thou  profane  the  name  of 
thy  God."    Lev.  19,  12.     It  seems  that  this  suggested  to 
their  sophistical  minds  two  evasions  of  the  divine  mean- 
ing: first,  that  false  swearing  must  not  be  by  the  name 
of  God,  which  would  be  punishable;  second,  that  false 
swearing  hj  any  other  name  would  not  be  reprehensible, 
because  what  is  forbidden  is  to  "profane  the  name  of  thy 
God."     "Woe  unto  you,"  Christ  says,  "ye  blind  guides, 
which  say.  Whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  temple  it  is 
nothing,  but  whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  gold  of  the  tem- 
ple, he  is  a  debtor.     Ye  fools  and  blind,  for  whether  is 
greater,  the  gold  or  the  temple  that  sanctifieth  the  gold? 
And,  Whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  altar  it  is  nothing, 
but  whosoever  sweareth  by  the  gift  that  is  upon  it,  he  is 
guilty.     Ye  fools  and  blind,  for  whether  is  greater,  the 
gift  or  the  altar  that  sanctifieth  the  gift?"     Matt.  23,  16- 
19.  Over  against  such  puerilities  the  Lord  says:  "Again 
ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  by  them  of  old 
time,  Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but  shall  perform 
unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths;  but  I  say  unto  you,  Swear  not 
at  all:  neither  by  heaven,  for  it  is  God's  throne;  nor  by 
the  earth,  for  it  is  His  footstool,  neither  by  Jerusalem  for 
it  is  the  city  of  the  great  King.      Neither  shalt  thou 
swear  by  thy  head,  because  thou  canst  not  make  one 
hair  white  or  black.     But  let  your  conversation  be.  Yea, 
yea;  Nay,  nay:  for  whatsoever  is  more  than  these  cometh 
of  evil." 

This  suggests  the  inquiry  in  the  first  place,  whether 
our  Lord  designs  His  prohibition  of  swearing  merely  in 


THE    LAW    ILLUSTRATED.  143 

Opposition  to  tiie  Pharisaic  perversion  and  thus  to  restrict 
its  meaniu*;-,  though  there  is  no  restriction  in  the  expres- 
sion, merely  to  the  errors  of  which  mention  is  made. 
The  meaning  would  then  be  that  not  swearing  in  general 
is  forbidden,  but  only  that  kind  of  swearing  which  the 
Jewish  teachers  regarded  allowable,  because  the  object 
by  which  the  oath  was  made  was  not  the  sacred  name  of 
God,  and  the  keeping  of  which  was  therefore  not  pre- 
sumed to  be  obligatory.  The  prohibition  would  thus 
embrace  all  trivial,  frivolous  and  superfluous  oaths, 
while  all  oaths  by  the  name  of  God  that  seemed  to  be 
necessary  to  maintain  the  truth  and  to  promote  the 
glory  of  God,  and  that  w^ere  taken  for  our  neighbor's 
welfare  or  by  order  of  the  civil  government,  are  exempt. 
We  are  not  able  to  accept  this  as  the  intended  sense  of 
our  Lord's  words;  for,  first,  the  prohibition  is  general,  and 
no  intimation  is  given  that  it  is  meant  only  in  a  limited 
sense;  secondly,  it  would  not  make  clear  wherein  the 
Pharisees  erred  in  regard  to  swearing  and  performing 
their  oaths  by  the  name  of  God;  and,  thirdly,  it  would 
not  agree  with  the  warning,  that  what  in  our  communi- 
cation goes  beyond  a  simple  yea  and  nay  cometh  of  evil. 
The  interpretation  is  therefore  arbitrary.  Acceptable 
as  the  sense  thus  attached  to  the  words  is  in  itself,  it 
cannot  justly  be  regarded  as  the  meaning  intended. 

In  the  second  place  we  are  led  to  iii(]uire  whether  the 
words  are  designed  to  declare  all  oaths  in  their  nature 
sinful,  and  therefore  to  be  absolutely  rejected  by  the 
disciples  of  Christ.  Some  Christian  sects  have  so  under- 
stood our  Lord.  But  this,  too,  we  must  regard  as  errone- 
ous. The  oath  cannot  be  in  itself  irreligious  or  immoral, 
else  it  would  not  have  the  divine  sanction  which  the 
Scriptures  give  it.  Not  only  is  it  commanded,  "Thou 
Shalt  fear  the  Lord  thy  God  and  serve  Him  and  swear 
by  His  name,"  Deut.  6,  13,  but  even  Ood  Himself  is  rep- 
resented as  employing  it,  "for  when  God  made  promise  to 


144  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

Abraham,  because  He  could  swear  by  no  greater  He 
swore  by  Himself."  Heb.  G,  13.  The  oath  involves  no 
profanity  in  its  appeal  to  God,  but  serves  a  good  purpose 
when  it  is  rightly  used.  "For  men  verily  swear  by  the 
greater,  and  an  oath  for  confirmation  is  to  them  an  end  of 
all  strife.  Wherein  God,  willing  more  abundantly  to 
show  unto  the  heirs  of  promise  the  immutability  of  His 
counsel,  confirmed  it  by  an  oath."  Heb.  6,  16.17.  There- 
fore those  cannot  be  right  who  regard  the  oath  as  in  its 
nature  involving  a  superstition  and  an  impiety,  and  on 
this  ground  condemned  by  our  Lord  and  forbidden  under 
every  form  and  under  all  circumstances. 

But  the  prohibition  is  given  in  plain  words,  and 
Christians  must  reverently  let  it  stand  as  it  reads,  all  the 
more  assured  that  when  they  do  this  they  have  not  mis- 
taken its  meaning,  because  it  is  repeated  by  St.  James  5, 
12 :  "Above  all  things,  my  brethren,  swear  not,  neither 
by  heaven,  neither  by  earth,  neither  by  any  other  oath, 
but  let  your  yea  be  yea  and  your  nay,  nay,  lest  ye  fall 
into  condemnation."  The  injunction  is  the  same  as  that 
given  by  our  Lord  in  the  sermon,  and  the  ground  on 
which  it  is  based  is  the  same:  for  our  communication 
with  each  other  our  aflSrmation  by  saying  yes,  and  our 
negation  by  saying  no,  is  enough;  whatever  goes  be- 
yond this  comes  of  evil  and  subjects  us  to  condemnation. 

But  what  is  the  evil  and  whence  the  danger?  The 
royal  law  of  love  points  the  way  for  understanding  the 
subject.  In  the  kingdom  of  God,  where  the  Holy  Spirit 
has  purified  the  heart  by  faith,  brethren  must  trust  each 
other.  One  must  not  suspect  the  other  of  untruthful- 
ness. The  brother  does  wrong  to  his  brother  when  he 
requires  more  than  a  yea  for  a  yea  or  a  nay  for  a  nay. 
It  Cometh  of  uncharitableness.  In  charity  a  brother 
must  accept  a  brother's  declaration  as  truthful  and  must 
require  no  oath.  Neither  must  he  think  the  evil  in  his 
heart  that  his  brother  suspects  him  of  lying,  and  there- 


THE   LAW    ILLUSTRATED.  145 

fore  confirm  his  assertion  by  calling  God  to  witness.  The 
brotlierly  relation  has  been  impeached  when  such  sus- 
picions are  permitted  to  influence  our  actions  and  the 
one  sinning  against  love  has  fallen  into  condemnation. 
In  the  Church,  among  Christian  brethren,  there  must 
therefore  be  no  swearing.  The  relation  of  brethren  in 
faith  and  love  is  disturbed  as  soon  as  untruthfulness  is 
even  insinuated.  In  the  kingdom  of  God  which  Christ 
established  and  in  the  interest  of  which  His  sermon  on 
the  mount  was  preached  as  well  as  all  His  other  work 
was  done,  the  rule  must  be  invariably  applied:  ''Swear 
not  at  all."  For  the  children  of  God  in  their  relation  to 
each  other  and  their  communication  with  one  another, 
the  oath  is  entirely  prohibited,  because  the  conditions  in 
the  kingdom  of  God  are  such  that  any  resort  to  it  would 
imply  the  absence  of  that  love  which  there  must  rule 
supreme,  and  the  admittance  of  that  temper  of  evil  which 
has  no  confidence  in  the  work  of  grace.  Among  the 
children  of  God  oaths  could  only  come  of  evil  because 
implying  a  want  of  confidence  in  each  other. 

But  that  is  manifestly  not  all  that  is  necessary 
for  the  elucidation  of  the  subject,  w^hich  is  complicated 
by  the  continued  dwelling  of  the  children  of  God  in  the 
world  that  lieth  in  wickedness,  and  their  continued  duties 
and  consequent  communications  in  this  world.  They 
live  and  labor  among  people  who  are  not  children  of  God 
by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  law  of  love  which  regu- 
lates their  lives  does  not  dominate  the  world.  They  are 
not  of  the  world  and  the  kingdom  of  God,  in  which  they 
live  with  their  conversation  in  heaven,  is  not  of  this 
world.  But  they  are  in  it  and  have  their  work  to  do  in 
it.  When  therefore  they  deal  with  people  of  the  world 
they  do  not  forget  their  principle  of  faith  working  by 
love,  but  they  do  not  expect  that  the  world  which  know- 
eth  not  the  Savior  will,  in  the  selfishness  of  its  wicked- 
ness, recognize  their  principle  and  act  accordingly.     That 

10 


146  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

would  be  a  foolish  expectation,  because  the  natural  mind 
cannot  receive  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  The 
more  the  people  of  the  world  look  into  the  human  heart, 
the  more  they  distrust  it.  "The  heart  is  deceitful  above 
all  things,  and  desperately  wicked;  who  can  know  it?" 
Jer.  17,  0.  Hence  when  the  men  of  the  world  require  an 
oath  to  make  their  neighbor's  assertions  credible,  this  is 
quite  natural;  and  as  they  know  nothing  of  the  grace  of 
regeneration,  which  recognizes  all  lying  and  deception  as 
an  abomination,  no  complaint  can  be  made  if  they  re- 
quire an  oath  to  make  men's  asseverations  trustworthy. 
That  is  natural  and  reasonable.  Nor  can  Christians  com- 
plain if  they  are  treated  like  other  people.  If  a  Christian 
brother  asks  me  to  take  an  oath  in  confirmation  of  my 
word,  he  insults  me  by  his  distrust  and  sins  against  the 
law  of  love;  if  a  worlding  asks  the  same  thing,  his  con- 
duct gives  me  no  offense,  because  he  judges  all  men  on 
the  basis  of  corrupt  human  nature  and  knows  nothing  of 
the  power  of  grace  that  makes  men  truthful  and  elimin- 
ates falsehood:  I  can  therefore  expect  nothing  better  of 
him. 

There  is  therefore  no  just  ground  for  condemning 
the  taking  of  an  oath  absolutely  and  for  refusing  to  take 
it  under  any  circumstances.  It  is  an  erring  conscience 
that  renders  some  Christians  painfully  scrupulous  in  this 
regard.  Only  if  there  were  that  in  the  nature  of  an  oath 
that  makes  it  inherently  sinful,  as  we  have  seen  that  there 
is  not,  could  there  be  any  sound  reason  for  such  scruples 
when  the  civil  government  imposes  the  oath,  or  when  the 
circumstances  indicate  that  the  cause  of  truth  and  right- 
eousness could  be  promoted  by  taking  it.  Certainly  we 
would  misunderstand  our  Lord's  words  if  we  regarded 
them  as  condemning  what  God  Himself  did  and  under 
some  circumstances  commanded  to  be  done  and  com- 
mended. But  that  furnishes  no  apology  for  the  vicious 
and  God-defying  profanity  which   is  so  much  practiced 


THE   LAW   ILLUSTRATED.  147 

among  the  people  and  which  is  so  shocking  not  only  to 
Christians,  but  to  all  men  and  women  of  any  refinement. 
Profane  swearing  is  so  vulgar  and  so  vile  that  it  affects 
the  ears  as  foul  stenches  affect  the  nostrils,  and  so  vicious 
and  so  demoralizing  that  even  civil  governments  have 
found  it  necessary  to  issue  laws  against  it.  Christians 
look  upon  it  with  abhorrence  for  the  higher  reason  that 
it  is  a  bold  and  seemingly  defiant  violation  of  the  second 
commandment,  which  has  not  even  the  poor  excuse  of 
securing  some  temporal  profit  by  the  disgusting  sin.  The 
rule  with  Christian  people  in  their  daily  conversation 
must  be  "Swear  not  at  all,"  avoiding  the  trivial  oaths 
which  are  so  common  as  the  supposed  rhetorical  orna- 
ments of  speech  among  the  vulgar,  as  well  as  the  shocking 
blasphemies  of  the  ungodly  degenerates.  In  the  kingdom 
of  God,  among  Christian  people,  where  the  law  of  love 
is  the  acknowledged  rule  of  life,  there  will  be  no  occasion 
for  oaths.  There  yea  is  yea  and  nay  is  nay,  and  what  is 
said  is  meant,  and  whatsoever  is  more  than  this  cometh 
of  evil;  but  in  the  state,  whose  regulations  are  based  on 
natural  right  as  reason  teaches  it,  and  which  can  make 
no  distinction  between  Christian  citizens  and  others,  there 
should  be  no  fear  that  wrong  is  done  when  Christians 
comply  with  its  requirements,  and  thus  by  an  oath  for 
confirmation  make  an  end  of  all  strife.    Heb.  6,  16. 


SECTION  VL 

The  Bond  of  Perfectness, 

(Matthew  5,  38-48). 

^^^HE  law  of  love  which  our  Savior  inculcates,  is  uni- 
vL  versal.  It  is  designed  to  control  the  lives  of  all 
men,  and  to  exert  its  benign  influence  upon  all 
people.  None  are  exempt  from  the  obligation  which  it 
imposes,  and  none  are  to  be  excluded  from  the  benefits 
which  its  fulfillment  confers.  Enemies  are  no  exception. 
They  exist  because  sin,  with  all  its  nefarious  selfishness, 
has  entered  into  the  world  and  despoiled  the  fairest  crea- 
ture in  it  of  the  image  of  God  in  which  he  was  made,  and 
in  which  he  was  loving  and  happy.  Man  fell,  and  his  love 
and  happiness  were  lost;  but  the  obligation  to  righteous- 
ness and  true  holiness  in  love  remained. 

This  love  is  by  no  means  a  mere  disposition  to  render 
kindness  for  kindness,  and  thus  in  a  commercial  and  mer- 
cenary spirit  repay  favors  with  favors,  and  confer  bene- 
fits with  a  view  of  receiving  like  benefits  in  return,  but  a 
cordial  good  will  towards  all  and  a  sincere  desire  to  make 
all  happy.  That  affection  which  excludes  an  enemy  from 
its  benevolent  operation  could  not  be  love.  What  love  is, 
God  the  Father  shows  us  in  the  mission  of  His  Son  to 
save  us,  and  the  Son  of  God  shows  us  in  dying  for  our 
sins,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  shows  us  in  the  grace  offered 
sinners,  that  they  may  enjoy  the  blessings  which  Christ's 
great  atoning  work  has  secured  for  all  men.  "God  com- 
raendeth  His  love  toward  us,  in  that  while  we  were  yet 
sinners  Christ  died  for  us."  Rom.  5,  8.  When  we  were 
enemies  we  were  reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  His 
Son.    "Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  He 

14fl 


THE   BOND   OF   PERFECTNESS.  149 

loved  US  and  sent  His  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our 
sins.  Beloved,  if  God  so  loved  us  we  ought  also  to  love 
one  another."  1  John  4,  10.  11.  This  is  the  import  of 
the  law  as  its  Author  declares  it,  and  this  is  the  love  that 
is  to  reign  in  the  hearts  of  men  renewed  after  the  image 
of  God  by  faith  in  the  Redeemer.  "The  love  of  God  is 
slied  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is 
given  unto  us.  For  when  we  were  yet  without  strength, 
in  due  time  Christ  died  for  the  ungodly."  Rom.  5,  6. 
As  God  loves  us,  so  ought  we,  who  by  creation  were  formed 
and  by  regeneration  are  renewed  after  His  image,  to  love 
Him  and  one  another.  This  is  the  purport  of  all  the  com- 
mandments. Therefore  St.  Paul,  after  giving  various  ex- 
hortations, adds:  "Above  all  these  things  put  on  charity, 
which  is  the  bond  of  perfectness."     Col.  3,  14. 

The  portion  of  the  sermon  which  we  have  now  reached 
inculcates  this  heavenly  love,  which  is  restricted  by  no 
earthly  considerations,  and  is  therefore  due  to  enemies  as 
well  as  to  friends.  The  section  treats  first  of  our  duty  to 
those  who  show  their  selfishness  in  special  acts  of  ill-will, 
V.  38-42 ;  secondly,  of  the  application  of  the  law  to  enemies 
in  general,  v.  43-47;  and  thirdly,  of  the  fundamental  re- 
quirement of  perfection,  in  which  all  divine  laws  are  of 
necessity  embraced. 

I.  "Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  An  eye 
for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth;  but  I  say  unto  you 
that  ye  resist  not  evil,  but  whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on 
thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  And  if  any 
man  will  sue  thee  at  the  law  and  take  away  thy  coat,  let 
him  have  thy  cloak  also.  And  whosoever  shall  compel 
thee  to  go  a  mile,  go  with  him  twain.  Give  to  him  that 
asketh  thee,  and  from  him  that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn 
not  thou  away." 

These  are  difficult  lessons  which  the  Maker  gives  us. 
The  wisdom  of  this  world  stumbles  at  them,  and  pro- 
nounces them  wild  and   impracticable.     Carnal   reason, 


150  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

when  it  lacks  the  courage  to  reject  them  outright  as  the 
effusions  of  a  flighty  dreamer,  insists  that  they  must  be 
taken  with  great  allowance  and  sanely  interpreted  before 
any  thought  can  be  entertained  of  accepting  them  as  a  rule 
of  conduct  in  the  world  as  we  find  it.  Christians,  who 
stand  in  awe  of  God's  Word,  cannot  consent  to  any  such 
summary  process,  by  which  the  revelation  given  us  from 
heaven  is  rendered  of  none  effect.  They  will  be  ready 
rationally  to  look  into  the  subject  and  welcome  all  efforts 
to  find  a  legitimate  interpretation  of  the  words,  but  con- 
sent to  no  departure  from  their  obvious  meaning,  what- 
ever difficulties  they  may  present  in  practice. 

1.  It  must  be  observed,  in  the  first  place,  that  our 
Lord  expounds  the  law  in  its  true  spiritual  import,  as  a 
revelation  of  God's  holiness  and  righteousness  that  should 
be  a  pattern  for  the  intelligent  cr.eature  made  in  His 
image  and  designed  for  His  companionship  in  holiness 
and  righteousness.  It  sets  forth  the  divine  ideal,  which  is 
to  be  realized  in  human  life.  That  thus  a  life  of  activity 
in  good  works  is  required  is  obvious.  But  more  than  this 
is  demanded.  The  principal  thing  is  the  right  condition 
of  the  heart,  as  the  personal  source  whence  that  activity 
is  to  proceed.  Not  only  the  deeds  are  to  be  conformed  to 
the  rule  prescribed,  but  the  person  who  performs  them 
is  to  be  holy  as  God  is  holy.  Only  thus  can  the  deeds, 
which  as  mere  actions  are  morally  indifferent,  be  made 
holy.  Good  fruits  are  the  product  of  a  good  tree.  Men 
should  be  like  God,  who  is  love,  and  therefore  like  God  in 
deeds  of  love,  ever  eschewing  evil  and  doing  good,  because 
that  is  in  accord  with  the  nature  and  calling  which  God 
has  given  him.  Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  holy  law, 
because  it  is  the  soul's  conformity  to  God's  holy  nature, 
of  which  the  law  is  a  revelation.  This  love  must  per- 
meate the  life  and  regulate  and  pervade  all  activity,  so 
that  every  motive  and  every  motion  is -holy  as  is  the  source 
whence  they  proceed.    It  is  love  that  is  required,  not  the 


THE   BOND   OF   PERFECTNESS.  151 

mere  verbal  profession  of  it,  and  not  the  mere  semblance 
of  it  in  deeds  that  are  called  charity,  but  the  disposition 
of  the  heart  which  is  devoted  to  God  and  kindly  affec- 
tioned  towards  man,  and  whose  works  therefore  are  in 
reality  works  of  love,  emanations  of  the  love  which  glows 
in  the  heart.  Where  such  love  without  dissimulation 
reigns,  doing  good  to  all  will  be  a  delight,  and  the  thought 
of  retaliating  when  wrong  is  suffered  will  not  be  tolerated. 
Should  not  the  child  of  God,  in  tlie  spirit  of  love,  be  will- 
ing not  only  patiently  to  bear  the  wrongs  suffered,  but 
suffer  them  doubly  rather  than  violate  the  law  of  love? 
If  it  be  said  in  reply  that  nobody  has  such  love  and  tl:at 
the  whole  matter  is  only  a  fancy,  let  us  keep  in  mind  tliat 
Christ  is  not  showing  how  all  the  people  of  His  kingdom 
live,  but  how  they  ought  to  live.  And  if  it  be  further 
urged  that  there  can  be  no  use  in  setting  forth  an  ideal 
which  is  rarely,  if  e^er  attained  on  earth,  our  answer  is 
that  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  for  the  souls  of  raen, 
both  as  regards  doctrine  and  iiractice,  that  they  should 
know  what  the  will  of  God  is,  even  our  sanctification, 
and  that  they  should  see  how  far  they  come  short  of  it, 
in  order  that  they  may  live  a  life  of  daily  sorrow  and  re- 
pentance on  account  of  their  sin  and  of  daily  self-cruci- 
fixion and  watchfulness  and  prayer  in  striving  after 
holiness;  and  this  not  with  the  thought  that  such 
living  will  make  good  their  shortcoming  and  open  the 
doors  of  heaven  to  them  notwithstanding  their  sin,  but 
that  they  may  by  faitli  cling  more  closely  to  their  Savior, 
who  is  their  only  refuge  and  hope,  and  whose  Gospel 
alone  can  give  them  peace.  Many  a  soul  is  lost  by  embrac- 
ing the  Satanic  delusion  that  God  will  not  hold  us  strictly 
to  His  law,  seeing  that  in  our  depraved  and  disabled 
condition  it  is  impossible  to  fulfill  it.  The  effect  of  such 
lying  solace  on  unnumbered  souls  is  that  they  grow  in- 
different about  the  life  of  holiness  which  the  law  requires 
and  see  no  need  for  the  consolation  of  the  Gospel,  which 


152  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

can  be  embraced  only  by  those  who  experience  the  terrors 
of  a  sin-stricken  conscience  and  recognize  the  needed  de- 
liverance in  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of 
the  world.  He  came  to  fulfill  the  law  for  us  in  all  its  full- 
ness and  severity,  not  to  destroy  it  or  relax  it,  and  the 
children  of  God,  after  they  have  experienced  its  salutary 
use  in  bringing  them  to  a  knowledge  of  their  sin  and  thus 
of  serving  as  a  schoolmaster  to  bring  them  to  Christ,  will 
let  it  stand  as  their  ideal  of  holiness  in  their  glad  endeav- 
ors to  show  forth  the  praises  of  their  Savior.  Abide  in 
Him  by  faith  unto  eternal  life,  and  moved  and  guided  by 
His  Spirit  you  will  thankfully  walk  in  the  way  of  holi- 
ness; and  while  this  holiness  can  contribute  nothing  to 
your  salvation,  which  is  by  grace  alone,  and  you  will  all 
the  while  seek  it  because  you  desire  it  and  it  pleases  the 
Master,  you  will  live  after  the  Spirit  and  mortify  the 
deeds  of  the  body,  that  you  may  abide  in  Jesus  and  sin 
may  not  cause  your  death. 

2.  When  the  sermon  on  the  mount  was  delivered 
the  audience  was  composed  of  people  who  respected  the 
Mosaic  law  and  recognized  its  authority.  But  their 
teachers  had  failed  to  understand  its  profound  spiritual 
import  and  sadly  misinterpreted  it.  Christ  explains  its 
true  meaning,  as  the  Jews  needed  such  explanation  that 
the  light  of  heaven  might  shine  into  the  earthly  dark- 
ness that  obscured  it.  He  did  not  come  to  set  it  aside 
or  to  disparage  it,  but  to  fulfill  it  in  all  its  requirements, 
both  as  to  the  duties  imposed  and  the  penalties  of  trans- 
gression. Only  when  the  law  was  misunderstood  or 
perverted  could  the  Pharisees  offer  any  plausible  excuse 
for  suspecting  that  He  was  not  a  friend  of  the  legal 
economy  under  which  they  were  living.  That  He  re- 
buked their  unspiritual  ceremonialism  and  their  self- 
righteous  trust  in  the  virtue  and  merit  of  external  per- 
formances is  evident;  but  He  did  this  because  it  was 
based  on  ignorance  or  perversion  of  the  law  which  they 


THE   BOND   OF   PERFECTNESS.  153 

claimed  to  houor  and  which  He  found  it  necessary  to  ex- 
plain.    And  so  it  was  in  regard  to  tlie  application  of 
confessedly  divine  precepts.     The  law  of  retaliation,  to 
which  the  verses  before  us  refer,  was  i^art  of  the  Mosaic 
legislation.     "Thou  shalt  give  life  for  life,  eye  for  eye, 
tooth  for  tooth,  hand  for  hand,  foot  for  foot,  burning  for 
burning,   wound   for  wound,   stripe  for   stripe,"   Ex.   21, 
23-25.     Christ  does  not  charge  upon  the  Jewish  leaders 
that  they  had  forged  or  falsified  this  law  of  ]Moses.     What  ] 
He  condemns  is  their  lack  of  love,  which  is  the  fulfilling ' 
of  the  law,  and  their  consequent  misapplication  to  the ) 
private  intercourse  of  individuals  what  was  issued  as  an'! 
ordinance  of  civil  government  for  the  punishment  of  crim- 1 
inals.    It  is  as  if  a  man  should  claim  the  right  to  punish  | 
his  neighbor  for  an  alleged  wrong  because  the  law  of  the 
land  ordains  such  i)unishment  b}^  the  court  when  a  per-  i 
son   is  tried  and  proved  guilty  of  the  crime.     The  as-  \ 
sumption  of  the  Pharisees  was  that  the  law  of  retaliation 
in  kind,  an  eye  for  an  eye,  was  meant  to  gratify  the  nat- 
ural craving  of  the  sinful   heart  to   get   even  with   an 
enemy  and  to  avenge  the  wrong.     Our  Lord's  exposition 
was  not  directed  against  the  law.    The  Mosaic  code  itself 
forbade  what  it  was  falsely  understood  to  teach,  "Thou 
shalt  not  avenge,  nor  bear  any  grudge  against  the  chil- 
dren of  thy  people,  but  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself,"  Lev.  19,  18. 

That  the  civil  government  is  authorized  to  do  and 
must  do  for  the  public  welfare  what  the  private  indi- 
vidual has  no  right  to  do,  and  can  not  do  without  public 
injury,  lies  in  the  nature  of  all  civil  organizations  and 
their  legislation.  The  enacting  of  laws  for  the  govern- 
ment of  a  community  would  have  no  rational  purpose 
without  authority  to  enforce  them.  Justice  cannot  be 
upheld  and  order  preserv^ed  without  inHicting  punish- 
ment on  those  who  violate  the  law.  And  such  persons 
are  found  in  every  community.     There  are  always  some 


154  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

who,  while  they  are  glad  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  just  and 
salutary  laws,  are  not  willing  to  obey  them.  Hence  God 
has  instituted  governments  with  legislative  and  penal 
powers,  that  those  who  pursue  their  own  will,  in  disre- 
gard of  the  equal  rights  of  their  fellow  citizens,  may  be 
compelled  to  respect  justice  and  observe  order,  and  may 
suffer  the  merited  punishment  if  they  persist  in  wrong- 
doing. St.  Paul  writes:  "Let  every  soul  be  subject  unto 
the  higher  powers.  For  there  is  no  power  but  of  God: 
the  powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God.  Whosoever, 
therefore,  resisteth  the  power,  resisteth  the  ordinance  of 
God,  and  they  that  resist  shall  receive  to  themselves  dam- 
nation." Rom.  13,  1 .  2.  The  authorities  divinely  com- 
missioned to  curb  individual  self-will  and  maintain  public 
justice  may  rightfully  do  what  private  citizens  could  do 
only  by  usurping  authority  which  they  do  not  possess. 
The  ruler  acts  in  the  name  of  Him  who  is  Lord  of  all. 
"He  is  the  minister  of  God  to  thee  for  good.  But  if  thou 
do  tliat  which  is  evil,  be  afraid;  for  he  beareth  not  the 
sword  in  vain:  for  he  is  the  minister  of  God,  a  revenger 
to  execute  wrath  upon  him  that  doeth  evil,"  Rom.  13,  4. 
If  this  civil  government  then  ordains  that  the  penalty 
of  violating  the  laws  of  the  land  shall  be  "an  eye  for  an 
eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,"  it  exercises  a  legitimate  au- 
thority, and  our  Lord  is  far  from  setting  Himself  in  op- 
position to  powers  which  He,  as  the  Son  of  God,  has 
Himself  instituted.  His  condemnation  is  pronounced 
upon  the  selfishness  which  takes  the  power  of  governing 
and  punishing  into  its  own  hands,  and  thus  rejects  God 
and  serves  the  devil.  "Dearly  beloved,  avenge  not  your- 
selves, but  rather  give  place  unto  wrath ;  for  it  is  written, 
"Vengeance  is  mine;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord,"  Rom. 
12,  19.  God  will  attend  to  the  punishment  of  evil-doers, 
and  judge  righteous  judgment,  which  the"  wrath  of  man 
is  not  capable  of  doing;  and  for  the  temporary  adminis- 
tration of  justice  in  this  temporal  life,  until  the  final 


THE   BOND   OF   PERFECTNESS.  155 

judgment  comes,  He  has  provided  "the  powers  that  be" 
in  the  State. 

3.  The  bitterness  of  malice  wliich  Satan  has  intro- 
duced into  the  hearts  of  men  has  no  kinship  with  the 
wrath  of  God  against  sin  and  the  vengeance  which  He 
takes  upon  the  stubbornness  that  persists  in  sin.  His 
indignation  and  wrath  is  revealed  against  the  ungodli- 
ness of  men;  vengeance  is  His,  and  He  will  repay;  His 
minister  in  the  civil  government  is  a  "revenger  to  execute 
wrath  upon  him  that  doeth  evil."  So  Christ  Himself 
used  severe  language  against  adversaries;  and  the 
apostles,  after  their  Master's  example,  condemned  false 
doctrine  and  life  with  severity  and  without  mincing 
words.  This  has  been  urged  as  proof  that  our  Lord's 
meaning  in  this  portion  of  His  sermon  cannot  be  what 
His  words  import,  or  that  He  was  Himself  all  astray 
in  His  conception  of  the  righteousness  which  the  law  re- 
quires. We  cannot  but  think  that  such  cavilers  are  all 
astray  in  their  criticisms.  They  do  err,  not  knowing  the 
Scriptures  nor  the  power  of  God.  Even  the  natural  rea- 
son of  man  leads  him  to  make  a  distinction  between  the 
action  of  a  civil  court  and  the  presumption  of  a  private 
citizen,  and  to  see  the  difference  between  executing  the 
sentence  of  such  a  court  and  inflicting  punishment  by  a 
person  on  his  own  individual  account,  according  to  his 
own  private  judgment.  If  a  neighbor  knocks  out  your 
eye,  are  you  justified  in  knocking  out  his  eye  to  get  even 
with  him?  It  is  getting  even  with  him  in  sin.  Giving 
way  to  your  wrath  and  taking  vengeance  on  your  own 
account,  is  the  way  to  anarchy  and  social  ruin  and  the 
subversion  of  all  justice  and  order.  "The  wrath  of  man 
worketh  not  the  righteousness  of  God,"  James  1,  20.  The, 
Scriptures  teach  us  to  commit  all  things  to  Him,  and ) 
cheerfully  submit  ourselves  to  His  government;  for  Hev 
is  just  and  wise  and  good,  and  doeth  all  things  well.  In ' 
Him  is  no  malice  and  ill-will  and  injustice,  and  Chris- 


156  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

tians  can  well  trust  in  Him  to  make  all  right,  although 
appearances  are  often  such  as  to  put  their  patience  on 
trial.  He  is  absolute  Monarch,  and  vengeance  is  His, 
as  well  as  blessing.  On  His  dealings  the  regenerate  heart 
has  no  criticisms  to  pass,  and  when  He  condemns  and 
punishes  His  subjects  for  their  disobedience  and  sins,  it 
is  unreasonable  to  appeal  to  His  example  in  justification 
of  our  condemnation  and  punishment  of  our  fellow  men, 
who  are  not  our  subjects,  but  with  whom  we  are  equally 
subject  to  the  One  just  judge  of  all  men.  Shall  not  the 
judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right,  and  shall  we  not,  if  we 
desire  the  right,  commit  all  to  Him?  "Dearly  beloved, 
avenge  not  yourselves,  but  rather  give  place  unto  wrath : 
for  it  is  written.  Vengeance  is  mine;  I  will  repay,  saith 
the  Lord.  Therefore  if  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him; 
if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink:  for  in  so  doing  thou  shalt 
heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head.  Be  not  overcome  of  evil, 
but  overcome  evil  with  good."  Eom.  12,  19-21. 

4.  Our  Lord  teaches  us  to  exercise  love  to  all  men, 
not  excepting  our  enemies.  But  the  special  instructions 
given  in  the  verses  under  consideration  seem  still  to  sug- 
gest some  diificulty  and  to  require  some  further  remark. 
In  opposition  to  the  error  that  any  person  has  a  right  to 
retaliate  when  wrong  is  suffered,  and  thus  to  apply  the 
rule  of  "an  eye  for  an  eye,"  He  teaches  "That  ye  resist 
not  evil."  This  is  not  hard  to  understand.  Instead  of 
giving  way  to  the  selfishness  and  ill-will  that  tries  to  get 
even  with  an  offender  by  giving  him  an  equivalent,  the 
disciples  of  Christ  are  to  exercise  love  towards  their 
neighbor  even  when  he  does  wrong.  The  malice  that 
foolishly  seeks  to  right  one  wrong  by  balancing  it  with 
another,  must  have  no  place  in  hearts  that  have  been  puri- 
fied by  faith  in  the  Kedeemer,  who  in  His  infinite  love 
has  merited  remission  of  sins  for  all  men  'and  graciously 
offers  it  to  all  by  the  Gospel.  They  should  have  pity  on 
others  as  Christ  had  pity  on  them,  and  not  be  overcome 


THE  BOND  OF   PERFECTNESS.  157 

of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with  good.  To  this  the  Spirit 
of  God,  who  is  given  them  when  they  become  believers, 
steadily  moves  them.  "Now  if  any  man  have  not  the 
Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  His,"  Rom.  8,  9.  Nor  can 
a  sincere  Christian  experience  any  difficulty  in  compre- 
hending the  principle  which  underlies  the  conduct  re- 
quired by  our  Lord's  sermon.  -So  far  must  the  disciple 
of  Christ  be  from  letting  his  carnal  propensities  gain  tlie 
mastery  over  him  and  enslave  him  to  sin,  that  he  would 
rather  bear  double  the  wrong  inflicted  by  his  enemy  than 
violate  the  law  of  love  that  reigns  in  Christ's  kingdom. 
Therefore  if  one  "smite  thee  on  the  right  cheek,  turn  to 
him  the  other  also;  and  if  any  one  sue  thee  at  the  law, 
and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloak  also. 
And  whosoever  shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile,  go  with  him 
twain.  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee,  and  from  him  that 
would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away."  The  prin- 
ciple of  love  inculcated  is  plain,  and  no  true  disciple  of 
the  Savior  can  intelligently  assume  that  more  is  re- 
quired than  the  law  of  holiness,  which  God  has  bound 
upon  man  from  the  beginning,  has  always  required. 

The  difficulties  arise  only  when  the  specifications 
applying  the  law  to  man's  practice  are  considered  in  their 
relation  to  other  requirements  made  by  the  law  of  right- 
eousness as  set  forth  in  the  Scriptures.  If  a  ruffian 
strikes  me  in  wilful  wickedness,  or  in  conscious  violation 
of  all  law  takes  away  my  property  to  gratify  his  greed  or 
spite,  or  in  bare  malice  to  inflict  an  injury  upon  me,  asks 
me  to  give  or  lend  him  my  money  or  goods  without  any 
claim  of  suffering  or  need  on  his  part,  shall  I  understand 
Christ's  words  to  mean  that  the  love  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  given  me  will  find  its  appropriate  expression 
in  yielding  to  his  satanic  assaults  and  demands,  and  even 
doubling  my  loving  compliance  with  his  ungodly  desires? 
I  think  not.  The  law  of  love  was  never  designed  to  ignore 
and  overthrow  all  righteousness,  but  rather  to  fulfill  it; 


158  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

and  our  Lord's  teaching  was  always  directed  to  the  in- 
culcation of  love  and  justice  without  bringing  them  into 
conflict.  They  are  harmonized  in  the  dreadful  penalty 
laid  upon  our  sin  in  the  crucifixion  of  our  Savior,  and 
in  the  sacrifice  which  He  offered  that  we  might  escape 
that  penalty  and  receive  life  everlasting.  And  they  need 
not  conflict  in  the  life  of  God's  redeemed  people.  Several 
necessary  distinctions  may  serve  to  make  the  subject 
clearer. 

The  first  is  that  between  the  believers  and  the  unbe- 
lievers, and  the  different  treatment  which  love  suggests 
to  each.  Our  brethren  in  the  fold  of  Christ  have  claims 
on  us  which  the  heathen  man  and  the  publican  have  not. 
We  have  mentioned  the  case  of  wilfully  wicked  attempts 
of  bad  men  to  deprive  us  of  the  rights  secured  to  us  by 
divine  and  human  law.  When  a  person  smites  us,  or 
takes  away  our  coat,  or  would  borrow  of  us,  it  is  not  clear 
from  such  act  that  he  is  a  malicious  murderer,  or  con- 
firmed thief,  or  a  wretched  swindler,  and  it  is  not  right 
to  assume  that  he  is.  If  he  is  a  brother  such  an  assump- 
tion could  only  be  the  result  of  uncharitableness  in  our 
hearts.  The  principle  of  love  which  our  Lord  inculcates 
would  prompt  us  to  gain  our  brother,  and  rather  bear 
this  wrong  doubly  than  let  uncharitableness  gain  the  as- 
cendency in  our  hearts.  The  Christian  will  not  readily 
abandon  the  hope  of  gaining  his  offending  brother  and 
preventing  the  separation  which  sin  persisted  in  would 
necessitate.  Our  Lord  prescribes  the  course  which  love 
is  required  to  take  when  He  institutes  the  process  of 
church  discipline  as  recorded  in  Matt.  18,  15-18.  It  is 
the  application  of  love  under  the  Lord's  own  directions 
in  the  Christian  Church.  If  the  wrong-doer  is  not  a  be- 
liever, the  treatment  which  our  Lord  teaches  His  dis- 
ciples to  accord  him  will  be  different  as  the  relation  ex- 
isting between  them  is  different.  It  will  not  then  follow, 
indeed,  that  the  offender  has  necessarily  done  the  wrong 


THE   BOND   OF   PERFECTNESS.  159 

with  malicious  intent  and  consciously  satanic  spirit,  so 
that  turning  to  him  the  other  cheek  when  he  smites  us 
on  the  one,  and  letting  him  take  our  cloak  also  when  he 
deprives  us  of  our  coat,  would  not  only  imply  a  cowardly 
yielding  to  arrogant  injustice,  but  would  seem  a  sanc- 
tioning of  the  wrong  and  confirm  the  evil-doer  in  his 
wickedness.  There  are  such  brutish  people  in  the  world, 
but  a  man  may  be  an  offender  without  having  sunk  to 
the  lowest  depths  of  conscious  sinning  with  malice  afore- 
thought; and  deciding  him  to  be  such,  with  no  other  evi- 
dence than  the  fact  that  he  has  done  us  a  wrong,  is  un- 
charitableness  which  the  Christian  shuns.  When  this  be- 
comes apparent,  the  conduct  of  the  offender  must  have 
resisted  all  the  Christian's  efforts  to  win  him  by  love, 
and  will  have  turned  these  efforts  of  love  toward  protect- 
ing himself  and  his  neighbors  in  their  life  and  property 
by  letting  the  civil  government  exercise  its  power  to  ren- 
der him  harmless  by  taking  away  the  liberty  which  he 
abuses  and  visiting  upon  him  the  punishment  which  he 
deserves.  But  if  the  offender  is  not  hardened  in  his  wick- 
edness, the  disciple  of  Christ  who  suffers  the  offense,  in 
the  practice  of  the  love  which  he  owes  to  all  men,  and  in 
the  application  of  that  wisdom  which  cometh  down  from 
above,  which  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable,  is  manifestly  re- 
quired to  abstain  from  retaliation;  yet,  on  the  other  hand, 
by  the  use  of  gentle  words  and  kindly  deeds,  to  endeavor 
to  arouse  his  conscience  and  lead  him  to  see  the  light 
which  shines  in  the  kingdom  of  God  and  to  enjoy  its 
blessings.  No  Christian  should  forget  his  high  calling 
in  this  regard.  To  Avin  men  for  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  His  righteousness  must  ever  be  our  purpose.  In  do- 
ing good  to  our  enemy  we  shall  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his 
head  and  make  him  ashamed  of  the  evil  that  he  meant 
to  do  us,  as  the  mercy  of  God  leads  us  to  repentance. 
"Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with  good," 
Rom.  12,  21. 


160  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

5.  Our  Lord  does  not  teach  that  the  attainment 
of  this  divine  purpose  in  the  life  of  the  individual  is  the 
condition  of  citizenship  in  His  kingdom,  or  of  the  ac- 
complishment of  the  ultimate  design  of  its  establish- 
ment. No  doubt  errors  in  this  regard  have  largely  con- 
tributed to  the  frequent  efforts  made  to  moderate 
Christ's  interpretation  of  the  law  and  to  put  upon  this 
a  more  lax  construction.  Eegarding  it  impossible  to 
keep  commandments  that  are  so  manifestly  in  opposition 
to  all  the  propensities  and  powers  of  our  human  nature, 
and  inferring  that  the  acceptance  of  the  words  in  their 
plain  meaning  would  imply  the  impossibility  of  any 
soul's  salvation,  and  the  consequent  subversion  of  the 
entire  divine  plan,  it  seemed  necessary  to  take  them  in 
a  milder  and  more  practicable  sense.  But  this  is  only 
one  of  the  many  instances  of  the  meddling  of  worldly 
wisdom  with  matters  beyond  its  comprehension,  and 
of  the  deplorable  work  that  results.  Salvation  is  not  by 
the  deeds  of  the  law  at  all,  and  the  Savior  came  be- 
cause the  curse  of  the  law  was  upon  us  and  there  was 
no  way  of  escape  by  human  powers  or  human  works. 
"What  the  law  could  not  do  in  that  it  was  weak  through 
the  flesh,  God  sending  His  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful 
flesh  and  for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh,  that  the 
righteousness  of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled  in  us,  who 
walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit."  Rom. 
8,  3.  4.  Our  Savior  came  with  a  precious  Gospel  of  sal- 
vation by  faith  in  Him  and  His  atoning  work,  that  "be- 
ing justified  by  faith  we  might  have  peace  with  God 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Rom.  5,  1.  Therefore 
all  believers  can  joyfully  say  with  St.  Paul:  "I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ;  for  it  is  the  power  of 
God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth,  to  the 
Jew  first  and  also  to  the  Greek.  For  therein  is  the 
righteousness  of  God  revealed,  froip  faith  to  faith;  as  it 
is  written,  the  just  shall  live  by  faith."    Rom.  1,  16.  17. 


THE    BOND   OF    PEHFECTNESS.  161 

The  sermon  on  the  mount  is  indeed  an  exposition  of  the 
law,  which  our  Lord  came  to  fulfill,  not  to  destroy.  He 
illustrated  it  in  His  life  of  perfect  holiness  and  suffered 
its  curse  upon  our  sin  by  the  vicarious  death,  which  is 
the  wages  of  our  sin.  This  is  the  kernel  of  the  Gospel 
which  He  preached,  that  by  His  active  fulfilment  of  the 
holy  law  we  sinners  can  be  esteemed  righteous  in  tlie 
court  of  heaven,  and  by  His  paying  the  penalty,  in  His 
vicarious  death,  of  our  failure  to  fulfil  it,  we  can  escape 
the  death  which  we  have  merited;  and  that  the  way  of 
realizing  for  ourselves  all  that  He  did  and  suffered  for 
us  is  simply  to  appropriate  it  by  the  faith  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  works.  "Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  Nothing  else  is  needed. 
"Therefore  we  conclude  that  a  man  is  justified  by  faith 
without  the  deeds  of  the  law."  Rom.  3,  28.  The  reason 
is  obvious.  "He  was  delivered  for  our  offences,  and  was 
raised  again  for  our  justification."    Rom.  4,  25. 

But  all  this  does  not  render  the  law  with  our  Lord's 
exposition  of  its  import  needless  for  us.  It  still  makes 
its  demands  upon  men,  denouncing  "unto  them  that  are 
contentious,  and  do  not  obey  the  truth,  but  obey  un- 
righteousness, indignation  and  wrath,  tribulation  and 
anguish,  upon  ever^^  soul  of  man  that  doeth  evil."  Rom. 
2,  8.  9.  Christ  has  come  to  redeem  them  that  were  un- 
der the  law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons, 
and  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  glory  in  the  mansions  of  our 
Father's  house.  But  the  message  that  comes  to  us  now 
is,  "Repent  and  believe  the  Gospel."  "He  that  believeth 
not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God 
abideth  on  him."  John  3,  36.  Only  when  men  see  their 
sin  and  the  curse  that  is  on  it,  and  on  them  because  of 
it,  can  they  be  induced  to  flee  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set 
before  them  in  the  Gospel.  "Wherefore  the  law  was  our 
schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto  Christ,  that  we  might  be 
justified  by  faith."    Gal.  3,  24.    And  when  we  have  come 

11 


162  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

to  Christ  and  found  peace  in  believing,  we  still  need  the 
law  to  guide  us  in  holiness,  that  we  may  know  how  to 
walk  and  please  God.  Not  that  now  we  should  harbor 
the  ungrateful  thought  that  we  can  secure  a  righteous- 
ness of  our  own  by  our  fulfilment  of  the  law,  and  thus 
render  the  righteousness  of  Christ  superfluous.  That  is 
the  way  to  fall  from  grace  and  lose  everything.  But 
now,  loving  righteousness  and  ever  striving  to  express 
our  gratitude  in  loving  service,  we  see  that  we  are  at 
best  unprofitable  servants,  and  cling  all  the  more  closely 
to  Christ  our  Savior,  that  we  may  have  daily  pardon  of 
our  shortcomings  and  transgressions  and  daily  peace  in 
believing. 

II.  "Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said.  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  and  hate  thine  enemy.  But  I 
say  unto  you,  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse 
you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them 
which  despitefully  use  you  and  persecute  you;  that  ye 
may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven: 
for  He  maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the 
good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust. 
For  if  ye  love  them  which  love  you,  what  reward  have 
you?  do  not  even  the  publicans  the  same?  And  if  ye 
salute  your  brethren  only,  what  do  ye  more  than  others? 
do  not  even  the  publicans  so?"  The  principle  of  love  as 
necessarily  including  enemies,  is  now  stated  more  di- 
rectly and  more  fully.  We  have  seen  that  it  underlies 
the  directions  given  in  the  preceding  verses,  and  now  it 
is  expressly  set  forth  and  enforced  as  love  to  enemies, 
that  there  may  be  no  room  for  misunderstanding.  The 
fact  that  a  person  is  not  merely  suspected  of  being  an 
enemy,  but  is  known  as  such,  does  not  exclude  him  from 
the  operation  and  the  benefits  of  the  love  which  God  re- 
quires us  to  have  in  our  hearts  and  exercise  in  our  lives. 

The  Pharisees  exercised  their  ingenuity  in  trying  to 
make  it  appear  that  enemies  are  not  included  when  love 


THE   BOND  OF   PERFECTNESS.  163 

to  our  fellow  men  is  required.  Their  perversion,  not  the 
Mosaic  law,  was  antagonized  by  our  Lord.  The  law 
says:  "Thou  shalt  not  avenge,  nor  bear  any  grudge 
against  the  children  of  thy  people,  but  thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  Lev.  19,  18.  Making  all  due 
allowance  for  the  special  calling  of  the  Israelites,  and 
their  consequent  relations  to  the  people  occupying  and 
surrounding  the  promised  land,  there  was  no  ground  in 
the  duties  imposed  on  them,  nor  in  reason  or  right,  for 
inferring  that  they  might  hate  all  others  but  their  own 
people.  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor,"  can  under  no 
circumstances  mean  that  thou  shalt  hate  thine  enemy. 
The  contrary  was  required  by  the  Mosaic  law:  "If  thou 
meet  thine  enemy's  ox  or  his  ass  going  astray,  thou  shalt 
surely  bring  it  back  to  him  again."  Ex.  23,  4.  Love  was 
the  requirement  of  the  law  in  the  Old  Testament  as  well 
as  in  the  New,  and  it  always  extended  over  all  people,  in- 
cluding enemies.  "Rejoice  not  when  thine  enemy  falleth, 
and  let  not  thy  heart  be  glad  when  he  stumbleth."  "Say 
not,  I  will  do  to  him  as  he  hath  done  to  me:  I  will  render 
to  the  man  according  to  his  work."  "If  thine  enemy  be 
hungry,  give  him  bread  to  eat;  and  if  he  be  thirsty,  give 
him  water  to  drink;  for  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire 
upon  his  head,  and  the  Lord  shall  reward  thee."  Prov. 
24,  17-29;  25,  21.  22.  In  this,  as  in  the  other  cases  men- 
tioned, Christ  sets  forth  the  true  meaning  of  the  divine 
law  in  opposition  to  the  misapprehensions  and  per- 
versions of  Jewish  teachers. 

Instead  of  recompensing  evil  for  evil,  we  are  taught 
to  overcome  evil  with  good.  Love  must  rule  in  the  king- 
dom of  God  even  when  we  are  dealing  with  enemies. 
When  they  curse  us,  we  must  bless  them,  giving  them 
good  words  for  the  evil  which  they  have  given  us.  When 
they  hate  us,  instead  of  hating  them  in  return,  we  must 
manifest  love  to  them  by  doing  them  good.  When  they 
despitefully  use  us  and  persecute  us,  we  must  pray  for 


164  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

them.  There  is  a  beautiful  gradation  in  our  Lord's  words 
of  instruction.  We  should  have  love  in  our  hearts  as 
the  foundation  of  a  right  conduct  towards  our  enemies. 
This  will  fortify  us  against  the  sinful  impulses  of  the 
flesh,  which  would  prompt  to  render  evil  for  evil,  and 
will  be  an  incentive  to  use  gentle  words  and  kindly  deeds 
to  overcome  the  evil;  and  finally,  whatever  may  be  the 
event,  it  will  move  us  to  commend  them  and  our  cause 
to  the  mercy  of  God  in  humble  prayer. 

Our  Lord  enforces  the  law  of  love  by  impressing 
upon  us  the  example  of  our  Father  in  heaven,  whose 
children  His  disciples  have  become  by  His  grace  through 
faith  in  His  name.  "He  maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the 
evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and 
on  the  unjust."  Should  not  His  goodness  lead  us  to 
repentance  for  every  evil  thought  and  word  and  deed  to 
our  neighbor,  seeing  how  unlike  these  make  us  to  our 
Father?  Should  not  His  example  inspire  us  to  live  in 
love  towards  all  men,  not  excepting  even  our  enemies? 
And  not  only  in  giving  sunshine  and  rain,  meat  and  drink, 
raiment  and  shelter  to  the  evil  as  well  as  the  good,  does 
our  heavenly  Father  show  us  how  His  children  ought 
to  live  and  please  Him,  but  also  and  especially  in  the 
revelation  of  His  grace  to  us  sinners,  and  in  the  bestowal 
of  spiritual  gifts  unto  our  salvation  when  we  were  yet 
enemies.  He  gives  us  His  Holy  Spirit  that  by  His  grace 
we  may  become  His  children  and  glorify  Him  by  loving 
and  living  according  to  His  holy  will.  "He  that  loveth 
not,  knoweth  not  God;  for  God  is  love.  In  this  was 
manifested  the  love  of  God  toward  us,  because  that  God 
sent  His  only  begotten  Son  into  the  world,  that  we 
might  live  through  Him.  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we 
loved  God,  but  that  He  loved  us  and  sent  His  Son  to  be 
the  propitiation  for  our  sins.  Beloved,  if  God  so  loved 
us  we  ought  also  to  love  one  another."  1  John  4,  8-11. 
Christ  illustrates  the  principle  in  the  parable  recorded  in 


THE   BOND   OF   PERFECTNESS.  165 

Matthew  18,  23-35.  A  king,  taking  account  of  his  ser- 
vants, found  one  indebted  to  him  to  the  enormous 
amount  of  ten  thousand  talents.  The  sum  was  so  large 
that  payment  was  impossible,  and  the  servant  cried  for 
mercy.  "Then  the  Lord  of  that  servant  was  moved  with 
compassion,  and  loosed  him  and  forgave  him  the  debt." 
But  tliis  pardoned  servant  found  a  fellow  servant  who 
owed  him  the  small  sum  of  a  hundred  pence  and  de- 
manded immediate  payment,  refusing  to  hear  his  appeals 
for  patience  until  payment  could  be  made,  and  rejecting 
all  cries  for  mercy.  This  ungrateful  and  cruel  conduct 
was  reported  to  his  lord,  who  summoned  him  into  his 
presence  and  said  to  him:  "O  thou  wicked  servant,  I 
forgave  thee  all  that  debt,  because  thou  desiredst  me: 
shouldst  not  thou  also  have  had  compassion  on  thy  fel- 
low servant,  even  as  I  had  pity  on  thee?  And  his  lord 
was  wroth  and  delivered  him  to  the  tormentors."  Chris- 
tians have  grace  imparted  to  them  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
overcome  the  evil  in  their  nature  and  enable  (hem,  as 
children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  to  appreciate 
the  love  of  their  heavenly  Father.  Should  not  the  love 
which  He  showed  to  us  when  we  were  yet  enemies,  move 
us  to  learn  of  Him  how  to  exercise  love  to  our  fellow 
men?  "Grieve  not  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  whereby  ye 
are  sealed  unto  the  day  of  redemption.  Let  all  bitter- 
ness and  M'rath  and  clamor  and  evil  speaking  be  put 
away  from  you,  with  all  malice;  and  be  ye  kind  to  one 
another,  tender  hearted,  forgiving  one  another,  even  as 
God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven  you."  Eph.  4,  30-32. 
It  is  not  expected  that  the  natural  man  will  lead 
such  a  life  of  love.  The  law  as  our  Savior  expounds  it 
is  obligatory  upon  all  men,  and  all  are  accountable  under 
it.  But  only  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  the  love  of  God 
shed  abroad  in  men's  hearts  and  the  power  given  to  obey 
it.  By  nature  we  are  not  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
cannot  enjoy  its  blessings  and  perform  its  duties.     Let 


166  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

US  not  overlook  the  fundamental  condition  which  our 
Lord  lays  down:  "Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  thee,  Except 
a  man  be  born  of  water  and  the  Spirit  he  cannot  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God."  John  3,  5.  Therefore  when 
He  appeals  to  the  intelligence  of  His  hearers  in  the 
words,  "For  if  ye  love  them  which  love  you,  what  reward 
have  3^e?  do  not  even  the  publicans  the  same?  And  if 
ye  salute  your  brethren  only,  what  do  ye  more  than 
others?  do  not  even  the  publicans  so?"  it  is  not  with  the 
presumption  that  they  have  nothing  to  move  them,  but 
their  innate  sense  of  right.  He  gives  no  countenance 
to  the  error  which  was  in  vogue  then  as  it  is  now,  that 
notwithstanding  our  corrupt  nature  we  can  have  the 
will  and  the  ability  to  fulfill  the  holy  law  and  practice 
the  perfect  love  which  it  requires.  Something  more  is 
demanded  than  that  which  the  publicans  exhibit.  As 
these  were  generally  regarded  to  be  bad  men,  even  the 
Pharisees  could  understand  that  a  better  life  than  theirs 
is  requisite  for  the  fulfillment  of  the  law.  The  reasoning 
would  be  valid  even  from  their  point  of  view,  that  show- 
ing love  only  to  those  who  show  love  to  us,  and  saluting 
only  those  whom  we  recognize  as  brethren,  does  not  raise 
us  above  the  level  of  the  publicans  who  are  so  much 
despised.  But  our  Lord  had  been  teaching  His  disciples 
the  things  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  the  words  which 
He  spake  were  spirit  and  life.  In  these  disciples  He 
could  therefore  appeal  to  higher  motives  than  those  of 
which  the  natural  man  is  capable,  and  with  them  He 
could  accordingly  reason  on  higher  grounds.  They 
should  realize  our  Heavenly  Father's  love  and  love  their 
fellowmen  as  He  loves  us  and  them.  And  now,  if  we 
love  only  them  that  love  us  and  salute  only  those  en- 
deared to  us  as  our  brethren,  is  it  not  manifest  that  we 
belong  rather  to  the  class  of  despised  publicans  than 
to  that  of  blessed  children  of  God?  •  Such  love  and  such 
salutation  is  merely  the  result  of  our  sinful  selfishness, 


THE   BOND   OF   PERFECTNESS.  1G7 

giving  nothing  but  that  for  which  we  get  an  equivalent.^ 
It  is  the  same  unloving  spirit  which  would  render  evil 
for  evil  on  the  same  principle,  which  can  have  no  place 
in  the  kingdom  of  God  where  love  reigns, 

III.  Finally,  the  whole  matter  set  forth  in  this  sec- 
tion is  summed  up  in  the  words :  "Be  ye  therefore  perfect, 
even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect." 

The  word  perfect  implies  so  much,  that  strenuous  ef- 
forts have  been  made  to  show  that  it  cannot  here  be  em- 
ployed in  its  proper  sense.  But  while  we  should  be  care- 
ful not  to  wrest  it  for  the  purpose  of  making  it  say  less 
than  the  word  plainly  expresses,  we  should  be  equally 
careful  not  to  put  more  into  it  than  general  usage  and  the 
context  indicate.  The  former  is  done  when  it  is  argued 
that  in  our  sinful  condition  nothing  more  can  justly  be 
required  of  us  than  we  have  the  ability  to  render,  and 
tliat  the  demand  made  upon  us  to  be  perfect  can  therefore 
mean  no  more  than  that  we  should  do  the  best  that  we 
can  in  our  disabled  condition.  The  other  is  done  when 
it  is  argued  that,  as  we  are  required  to  be  perfect  as  our 
Father  in  heaven  is  perfect,  a  state  of  entire  sinlessness 
is  attainable  on  earth  and  must,  according  to  our  Lord's 
words,  be  attained  before  any  one  can  be  recognized  as  a 
true  disciple  of  Christ  and  an  heir  of  heaven.  A  further 
consideration  of  the  term,  and  of  the  subject  it  presents, 
is  therefore  necessary  for  the  right  understanding  of  the 
text. 

That  is  perfect  which  serves  its  purpose  without  a 
defect  or  a  blemish.  In  the  connection  in  which  the 
word  is  here  used  it  refers  to  the  love  which  is  required 
of  Christ's  disciples  and  which  the  Spirit  of  Christ  sheds 
abroad  in  their  liearts.  This  love  is  defective  if  it  does 
not  embrace  enemies  in  its  compass;  it  has  a  blemish  if  it 
is  extended  only  to  tliose  wliose  love  is  requited  or  is  ex- 
pected in  return.  It  is  tainted  with  selfishness  when  it  is 
not  like  our  Heavenly  Father's  love,  who  maketh  His 


J  68  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

suu  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good  and  sendeth  rain 
on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  Perfect  love  is  required 
as  our  Father  which  is  in  heaven  manifests  it  to  us.  Thus 
our  Lord  said  to  the  rich  young  man  v^ho  inquired  what 
he  must  do  to  inherit  eternal  life,  "If  thou  wilt  be  per- 
fect, go  and  sell  that  thou  hast  and  give  to  the  poor,  and 
thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven:  and  come  and  follow 
me."  Matt.  19,  21.  The  man  thought  that  he  had  loved 
his  neighbor  as  himself  from  his  youth  up:  and  now  what 
was  lacking  yet?  The  Lord's  answer  showed  him  what 
was  lacking.  It  was  the  very  love  which  in  his  conceit 
he  fully  possessed,  but  which  in  reality  consisted  with  him 
only  in  word;  and  when  the  young  man  heard  what  was 
lacking,  "he  went  away  sorrowful,  for  he  had  great  pos- 
sessions." What  he  needed  to  be  perfect  was  the  pos- 
session of  pure  love  in  his  heart;  for  "love  is  the  fulfilling 
of  the  law."  Kom.  13,  10.  What  he  needed  above  all 
was  to  "put  on  charity,  which  is  the  bond  of  perfectness." 
Col.  3,  14. 

Love  is  thus  seen  to  be  only  another  name  for  that 
holiness  of  heart  which  was  man's  original  endowment  as 
created  in  the  image  of  God,  who  is  love.  That  consti- 
tuted his  perfectness  as  the  most  highly  gifted  of  earthly 
creatures,  and  its  restoration  by  the  grace  of  God, 
through  the  redemption  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  is  what 
is  needed  still  to  constitute  it.  "I  am  the  Lord  your  God; 
ye  shall  therefore  sanctify  yourselves  and  ye  shall  be 
holy,  for  I  am  holy."  Lev.  11,  44.  Man  was  made  to  be 
like  God  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness.  "So  God 
created  man  in  His  own  image,  in  the  image  of  God  cre- 
ated He  him."  Gen.  1,  27.  He  was  perfect  as  he  pro- 
ceeded from  the  hands  of  his  Maker.  All  was  "very 
good"  until  by  the  instigation  of  Satan  the  terrible 
tragedy  occurred  in  Eden  which  made  our  earth  a  wilder- 
ness of  sin  and  woe  and  death.  "By  pne  man  sin  entered 
into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin ;  and  so  death  passed  up- 


THE    BOND   OP    PERFECTNESS.  169 

on  all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned."  Rom.  5,  12.  There 
was  then  an  end  of  all  perfectness  in  this  world  which 
lieth  in  wickedness.  But  God  did  not  in  the  anger  of 
His  righteousness  cast  away  His  forlorn  creature,  but  in 
wrath  remembered  mercy.  He  "so  loved  the  world  that 
He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth 
in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 
John  3,  16.  The  Eternal  Son  of  God  condescended  to  be 
born  of  a  woman  and  made  under  the  law,  that  He  might 
fulfill  all  righteousness  in  our  stead,  and  be  obedient  unto 
death  for  our  salvation.  At  His  birth  it  was  announced 
by  the  angel:  "Fear  not;  for  behold  I  bring  you  good 
tidings  of  great  joy,  which  shall  be  to  all  people.  For 
unto  you  is  born  this  day  in  the  city  of  David  a  Savior, 
which  is  Christ  the  Lord."  Luke  2,  10.  11.  He  lived  and 
died  for  us  that  a  kingdom  of  righteousness  might  be 
established,  in  which  all  who  believe  in  Him  should  be 
gathered  and  be  saved  with  an  everlasting  salvation. 
To  this  end  He  gives  His  Holy  Spirit  through  His  Word 
and  Sacrament,  that  we  might  regain  in  Him  what  was 
lost  in  Adam.  "There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation 
to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk  not  after  the 
flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit."  Rom.  8,  1.  The  Spirit  of 
God  has  made  all  things  new  by  their  regeneration.  They 
have  put  on  Christ,  who  is  perfect  in  holiness,  and  thus, 
their  hearts  being  purified  by  faith,  the  image  of  God  is 
restored  in  them.  They  are  perfect  in  Christ,  who  is 
made  unto  them  wisdom  and  righteousness  and  sanctifi- 
cation  and  redemption,  "that,  according  as  it  is  written, 
He  that  glorieth,  let  liim  glory  in  the  Lord."  1  Cor.  1,  31. 
"Ye  have  put  off  the  old  man  with  his  deeds,  and  have  put 
on  the  new  man,  which  is  renewed  in  knowledge  after  the 
image  of  Him  that  created  him."  Col.  3,  10.  But  this 
renewal  of  the  divine  image  is  the  grafting  into  Christ, 
by  which,  through  faith  in  Him,  we  share  all  the  blessings 
of  the  redemption  effected  through  His  blood,  without 


170  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

having  in  our  own  nature  been  divested  of  all  the  evil 
with  which  sin  has  infected  it,  or  being  entirely  as- 
similated to  the  spirit  of  holiness  imparted  by  the  grace 
of  our  Lord.  The  flesh  still  exists  in  us  and  lusts  against 
the  Spirit.  The  new  life  is  therefore  a  power  in  us  that 
has  not  yet  expelled  all  sinfulness  from  our  nature,  but 
that  is  to  be  constantly  exercised  for  the  destruction  of 
the  old  Adam  and  the  growth  in  holiness.  "I  am  cruci- 
fied with  Christ:  nevertheless  I  live;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ 
liveth  in  me;  and  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh  I 
live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God  who  loved  me  and 
gave  Himself  for  me."  Gal.  2,  20.  The  power  which 
worketh  in  us  unfailingly  impels  to  a  realization  in  our 
own  lives  of  the  image  restored  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
through  faith  in  the  Savior,  and  therefore  we  who  are  in 
Christ  are  continually  exhorted  to  walk  in  holiness 
worthy  of  our  high  calling.  "If  we  live  in  the  Spirit, 
let  us  also  walk  in  the  Spirit."  Gal.  5,  25.  Thus  the 
apostle  warns  Christians  against  the  sins  of  the  Gentiles 
and  says:  "Ye  have  not  so  learned  Christ,  if  so  be  that 
ye  have  heard  Him  and  have  been  taught  by  Him  as  the 
truth  is  in  Jesus,  that  ye  put  off  concerning  the  former 
conversation  the  old  man,  which  is  corrupt  according  to 
the  deceitful  lusts,  and  be  renewed  in  the  Spirit  of  your 
mind;  and  that  ye  put  on  the  new  man  which  after  God 
is  created  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness."  Eph.  4, 
20-29.  "Be  ye  perfect"  therefore  means:  Embrace  by 
faith  the  righteousness  acquired  for  you  by  the  Son  of 
God,  which  is  perfect  and  which  is  graciously  imputed 
to  those  who  believe  in  Him  as  their  Savior;  and  in  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  given  to  all  believers, 
follow  after  holiness  in  the  footsteps  of  Jesus  to  the 
praise  of  His  name. 

The  perfection  required  thus  presents  itself  in  two 
aspects,  and  in  such  two-fold  view  .the  word  is  applied 
in  Holy  Scripture.    The  sincere  follower  of  Christ  has  by 


THE   BOND   OF   PERFECTNESS.  171 

faith  a  righteousness  which  avails  before  God,  because 
he  has  the  perfect  obedience  and  merits  of  Christ  imputed 
to  liim.  Notwithstanding  all  his  own  shortcomings  he  is 
perfect  in  Christ.  As  against  all  ungodliness  and  all 
hypocritical  forms  of  godliness,  the  sincere  Israelite  was 
even  in  tlie  Old  Testament  called  perfect.  "Mark  the  per- 
fect man  and  behold  the  upright,  for  the  end  of  that  man 
is  peace."  Ps.  37,  37.  St.  Paul,  speaking  of  Christ  in  us 
the  hope  of  glory,  says :  "Whom  we  preach,  warning 
every  man  and  teaching  every  man  in  all  wisdom,  that 
we  may  present  every  man  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus."  Col. 
1,  28.  In  Him  the  image  of  God  is  restored  and  all  His 
perfection  of  holiness  is  imputed  to  them  who  embrace 
Him  by  faith. 

But  more  than  this  is  taught  us  and  secured  to  us. 
By  His  grace  the  sin  that  remains  in  our  nature  even  after 
conversion  shall  in  the  end  be  totally  eradicated,  and  the 
personal  perfection  for  which  we  are  striving  shall  be 
attained.  But  we  must  not  flatter  ourselves  that  the  prom- 
ised attainment  renders  the  struggle  needless,  and  that 
the  victory  over  the  world  and  the  flesh  and  the  devil  will 
be  won  without  the  good  flght  of  faith.  St.  Paul's  words 
illustrate  the  whole  subject:  "Not  as  though  I  had 
already  attained  or  were  already  perfect,  but  I  follow 
after,  if  that  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  also  I  am 
apprehended  of  Christ  Jesus.  Brethren,  I  count  not  my- 
self to  have  apprehended;  but  this  one  thing  I  do,  forget- 
ting those  things  which  are  behind  and  reaching  forth 
unto  those  things  which  are  before,  I  press  toward  the 
mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus."    Phil.  2,  12-14. 

Tlie  perfect  love  that  includes  enemies  as  well  as 
friends  is  a  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  all  believers 
possess.  But  that  does  not  imply  that  every  believer  is 
faultless  in  the  use  of  the  gifts  which  the  Spirit  has  im- 
parted, or  that  all  have  attained  the  same  degree  of  holi- 


172  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

ness  in  the  exercise  of  these  gifts.  The  sin  that  dwells  in 
our  nature  is  not  wholly  exterminated  until  the  Holy 
Spirit's  work  is  completed  with  the  end  of  this  earthly 
life  in  the  death  of  the  body.  Sanctification  is  a  growth 
unto  completion  until  the  end,  and  therefore  never  ceases, 
while  this  life  lasts,  to  be  an  object  towards  the  attain- 
ment of  which  the  energies  of  Christians  are  directed. 
One  cannot  be  a  true  disciple  of  Christ  without  the  faith 
which  worketh  by  love.  "This  is  the  will  of  God,  even 
your  sanctification."  Every  child  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ 
Jesus  recognizes  this.  But  the  accomplishment  of  this 
holy  will  of  God  is  a  different  matter.  "For  I  know  that 
in  me,  (that  is,  in  my  flesh),  dwelleth  no  good  thing;  for 
to  will  is  present  with  me,  but  how  to  perform  that  which 
is  good  I  find  not."  Rom.  7,  18.  The  Christian's  comfort 
in  the  Holy  Ghost  and  his  joyful  assurance  of  salvation 
is  therefore  not  made  to  rest  on  his  perfect  attainment  of 
personal  holiness  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  God,  at 
which  he  never  ceases  to  aim  and  for  which  he  never 
ceases  to  long,  but  of  which  he  always  comes  short  until 
his  transfer  to  the  better  land  "where  the  wicked  cease 
from  troubling  and  the  weary  are  at  rest."  By  faith  he 
embraces  the  righteousness  acquired  for  him  by  the 
Savior.  That  is  perfect,  and  clothed  in  that  righteousness 
he  can  stand  without  spot  or  blemish  on  the  judgment 
day.  "Being  justified  by  faith  we  have  peace  with  God 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  These  are  things  of 
which  Christians  should  never  lose  sight.  "For  by  grace 
are  ye  saved  through  faith ;  and  that  not  of  yourselves : 
it  is  the  gift  of  God:  not  of  works,  lest  any  man  should 
boast."  Eph.  2,  8.  9.  The  Holy  Spirit  works  in  believing 
hearts  holy  desires  according  to  the  will  of  God,  but  never 
prompts  us  to  put  our  trust  in  the  holiness  attained,  but 
always  and  only  in  the  Savior's  merits.  He  alone  is  the 
Savior  from  sin  and  death,  and  it ,  is  those  who  know 


THE   BOND  OF  PERFECTNESS.  173 

themselves  saved  through  His  blood  that  truly  walk  in 
the  ways  of  holiness,  endeavoring  faithfully  to  discharge 
their  duties  in  their  calling  and  patiently  bearing  the  ills 
attending  them  in  their  labors  of  love,  but  giving  all  glory 
to  Him  alone  who  saves  them. 


SECTION  vn. 

The  Sincere  Service* 
(Matthew  6,  J -8). 

^^^HE  sermon  thus  far  has  dealt  mainly  with  the 
LI,  Pharisaic  failure  to  understand  the  import  of 
the  law  and  with  the  false  teaching  which  re- 
sulted. Human  ordinances  and  traditions  were  laid 
upon  the  consciences  of  the  people  under  the  guise  of 
expositions  and  applications  of  the  divine  command- 
ments, and  the  law  was  made  of  no  effect  by  those  per- 
versions, which  were  foisted  in  as  substitutes.  But 
naturally  the  practice  would  be  as  the  teaching,  and  the 
corruption  of  the  latter  would  necessarily  attach  to  the 
former.  To  these  depravations  of  the  holy  service  which 
the  law  requires  the  sermon  addresses  itself  in  the  first 
part  of  the  sixtii  chapter.  Chief  among  the  observances 
required,  in  the  estimation  of  the  Jews,  w^ere  almsgiving, 
prayer,  and  fasting.  These  were  regarded  by  them,  as 
they  unfortunately  are  now  by  the  Roman  Church,  as  the 
highest  and  most  meritorious  virtues,  and  in  the  practice 
of  these  their  carnal  cant  and  hypocritical  sanctity  be- 
came especially  manifest.  Christ  rebukes  the  hollowness 
and  heartlessness  of  the  Pharisaic  formalism  and  self- 
righteousness,  and  urges  upon  His  disciples  the  better 
righteousness  of  sincerity  in  their  service  of  God. 

I.  With  regard  to  almsgiving  He  says:  "Take  heed 
that  ye  do  not  your  alms  before  men,  to  be  seen  of  them; 
otherwise  ye  have  no  reward  of  your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven.  Therefore  when  thou  doest  thine  alms  do 
not  sound  a  trumpet  before  thee,  as  the  hypocrites  do  in 
the  synagogues  and  in  the  streets,  that  they  may  have 

174 


THE    SINCERE   SERVICE.  175 

glory  of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you  they  have  their  re- 
ward. But  when  thou  doest  alms  let  not  thy  left  hand 
know  what  thy  right  hand  doeth:  that  thine  alms  may 
be  in  secret,  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in  secret  Him- 
self shall  reward  thee  openly." 

Giving  alms  is  affording  help  where  it  is  needed, 
especially  by  giving  money.  All  contributions  for  the 
support  of  the  poor  and  the  helpless  come  under  this 
head.  The  Jewish  leaders  were  right  in  giving  it  a 
high  jjlace  among  the  doctrines  inculcated  by  the  law. 
"The  poor  shall  never  cease  out  of  the  land:    therefore 

1  command  thee,  saying.  Thou  shalt  open  th}'  hand  wide 
to  thy  brother,  to  thy  poor  and  to  thy  needy  in  thy 
land."  Deut.  15,  11.  To  oppress  the  poor  and  disregard 
his  wants  is  a  sign  of  impiety.  "He  that  oppresseth  the 
poor  reproacheth  his  Maker;  but  he  that  honoreth  Him 
hath  mercy  on  the  poor."  Pro  v.  14,  39.  Almsgiving  is 
accordingly^  repeatedly  urged  upon  Christian  people  in 
the  New  Testament.  To  the  rich  youth  Christ  gave  the 
command,  as  a  test  of  his  disposition  to  do  the  Lord's 
will,  to  give  his  possessions  to  the  poor,  and  the  poor 
widow  who  cast  the  two  mites,  which  were  all  her  liv- 
ing, into  the  treasury,  receives  the  highest  commenda- 
tion for  her  self-sacrificing  love.  St.  Paul  writes: 
"Brethren,  we  do  you  to  wit  of  the  grace  of  God  bestowed 
on  the  churches  of  Macedonia,  how  that  in  a  great  trial 
of  affliction,  the  abundance  of  their  joy  and  their  deep 
j)overty  abounded  unto  the  riches  of  their  liberality." 

2  Cor.  8,  1.  2.  And  as  the  contributions  for  the  help  of 
the  needy  receive  due  praise,  the  miserly  stinginess  of 
others  who  refuse  such  help,  is  severely  rebuked.  "If  a 
brother  or  sister  be  naked  and  destitute  of  daily  food, 
and  one  of  you  say  unto  them,  Depart  in  peace,  be  ye 
warmed  and  filled,  notwithstanding  ye  give  them  not 
those  things  which  are  needful  to  the  body,  what  doth  it 
profit?    Even  so  faith,  if  it  hath  not  works,  is  dead,  be- 


176  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

ing  alone."  James  2,  15-17.  Hence  the  exhortation: 
"To  do  good  and  to  communicate  forget  not;  for  with 
such  sacrifices  G-od  is  well  pleased."  Heb.  13,  16.  The 
man  who  takes  all  that  he  can  get  of  earthly  goods  and 
refuses  to  communicate  where  there  is  want,  not  only 
transgresses  the  law,  but  resists  the  grace  of  God  and 
should  give  earnest  heed  to  the  admonition:  "Examine 
yourselves  whether  ye  be  in  the  faith,  prove  your  own 
selves."  2  Cor.  13,  5.  For  the  covetous  man  is  an  idolater. 
The  words  of  the  Savior,  "when  thou  doest  thine  alms," 
implies  that  His  disciples  will  certainly  do  them.  His 
sermon  is,  of  course,  not  directed  against  almsgiving, 
but  against  the  false  motive  which  prompted  the  Phari- 
sees in  the  performance  of  the  good  deed.  "When  thou 
doest  thine  alms  do  not  sound  a  trumpet  before, thee, 
as  the  hypocrites  do  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  streets, 
that  they  may  have  glory  of  men."  That  is  the  sin  which 
taints  and  vitiates  their  work  of  charity.  They  are  seek- 
ing a  human  reward  for  the  work  which  thus  becomes 
a  mercenary  barter,  in  which  an  equivalent  in  some  form 
is  expected.  The  form  here  is  the  praise  of  men.  Not 
the  glory  of  God,  to  whom  all  glory  belongs,  but  their 
own  glory  is  sought.  They  do  it  that  they  "may  have 
glory  of  men."  To  this  end  they  see  that  the  attention 
of  men  must  be  directed  to  their  performance,  and  there- 
fore they  introduce  it  with  a  flourish  of  trumpets,  or 
that  which  is  equally  effectual  in  turning  the  eyes  of  the 
people  upon  them.  They  want  to  be  seen  of  men,  that 
men  may  give  them  the  honor,  which  they  think  that 
their  righteousness  merits.  And  they  have  their  reward. 
Men  praise  them  for  their  deeds.  That  is  what  they 
want,  and  that  is  all  they  get.  Alas,  how  many  there 
are  in  our  times  also  who  do  shining  deeds  of  seeming 
beneficence  and  call  public  attention  to  them  that  they 
may  have  glory  of  men!  They  are  hypocrites,  because 
they  do  in  the  quest  of  human  praise  what  the  Lord  has 


THE    SINCERE   SERVICE.  177 

commanded  to  be  done  in  His  name  and  for  His  glory. 
Whilst  they  make  a  boast  of  serving  God  with  their 
alleged  deeds  of  charity,  they  are  merely  gratifying  a 
selfish  greed.  The  evidence  of  this  is  their  public  proc- 
lamation of  their  almsgiving,  that  they  may  receive  the 
applause  of  their  fellow  men,  and  their  surly  conduct 
when  their  expectations  are  not  realized.  Good  deeds 
need  no  trumpeting;  they  speak  for  themselves,  and 
they  accomplish  their  salutary  purpose  and  receive  their 
reward  whether  men  see  them  or  not.  God  sees  them, 
and  that  is  enough  for  His  children,  whose  heart's  desire 
is  to  please  Him,  not  to  seek  the  applause  of  the  world. 
Christ  does  not  forbid  almsgiving  and  other  good  works 
in  public.  When  the  will  of  the  Lord  can  be  done  and 
His  name  can  be  glorified  by  doing  it  in  the  presence  of 
witnesses,  the  fact  that  our  good  works  are  seen  can 
certainly  be  no  hindrance  to  our  doing  them.  W^hether 
they  are  seen  or  not  is  of  no  essential  moment.  The  good 
that  can  be  done  only  before  others,  as  when  the  Lord's 
praises  are  sung  in  the  congregation,  must  be  done  as 
cheerfully  and  as  humbly  as  that  which  is  done  in  secret. 
As  we  must  not  blow  a  trumpet  to  attract  men's  atten- 
tion to  our  deeds  of  charity  in  order  to  receive  their  ap- 
plause, so  we  must  not  hide  our  candle  under  a  bushel  and 
refuse  to  let  it  shine  from  fear  of  being  called  Pharisees. 
We  are  to  seek  no  praise  for  our  almsgiving  and  there- 
fore do  our  duty,  whether  men  see  us  or  not,  knowing 
that  God  sees  us.  But  we  are  to  give  God  the  glory; 
and  this  will  always  guard  us  against  the  selfishness 
which  seeks  publicity  for  every  good  work  done.  Seek- 
ing the  praise  of  men  destroys  the  virtuous  character 
of  the  deed,  however  good  it  would  otherwise  be.  And 
when  men  complain  of  the  ingratitude  of  the  world  if 
their  efforts  are  not  rewarded  with  the  expected  honors, 
and  especially  when  they  on  that  account  cease  to  do 
well  because,  as  they  allege,  it  does  not  pay,  they  show 

12 


178  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

that  they  are  not  sincere  in  their  service  of  the  Lord, 
but  engage  in  the  works  of  the  law  for  their  own  rather 
than  their  Heavenly  Father's  glory.  Sincere  followers 
of  Jesus,  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  will  abound  in  good 
works,  but  never  make  earthly  honors  and  rewards  their 
motive,  since  their  calling  is  to  do  all  to  the  glory  of 
Ood. 

Christ's  disciples  are  taught  the  better  righteous- 
ness. "When  thou  doest  thine  alms,  let  not  thy  left 
hand  know  what  thy  right  hand  doeth."  They  are  not 
only  not  to  blow  a  trumpet  before  them  to  draw  all 
men's  eyes  upon  them,  but  seek  to  do  their  alms  only 
In  the  presence  of  God,  taking  care  not  to  flaunt  their 
deeds  in  the  eyes  of  other  men,  but  to  conceal  their  work 
even  from  their  own  observation,  that  the  left  hand  may 
not  know  what  the  right  is  doing;  that  is,  that  not  only 
others  may  know  nothing  of  it,  but  that  even  we  our- 
selves do  not  fix  our  attention  upon  it,  as  if  we  had  done 
some  great  thing  for  which  we  may  at  least  give  our- 
selves the  praise,  if  we  are  not  permitted  to  solicit  the 
praise  of  others.  Our  hearts  are  not  right  before  God  if 
we  desire  the  glory  of  any  good  work;  for  it  is  only  by 
the  grace  of  God  and  through  the  redemption  that  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  that  anything  really  good  can  be  done  by 
us  sinful  creatures,  and  the  glory  of  it  belongs  ex- 
clusively to  Him  who  gave  us  the  will  and  the  ability 
to  do  it.  "What  hast  thou  that  thou  didst  not  receive? 
now  if  thou  didst  receive  it,  why  dost  thou  glory  as  if 
thou  hadst  not  received  it?"  1  Cor.  4,  7.  Such  glorying 
in  self  and  self-achievement  is  inconsistent  with  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  which  the  Holy  Spirit  has  given  us, 
and  with  that  purpose  to  live  unto  Him  which  is  the 
effect  of  His  working  in  us.  "How  can  ye  believe,  which 
receive  honor  one  of  another,  and  seek  not  the  honor  that 
cometh  from  God  only?"  John  5,  44.  Hence  the  sincere 
disciple  desires  what  his  Lord  requires,  that  his  alms 


THE    SINCERE   SERVICE.  179 

may  be  in  secret.  And  he  has  no  fears  that  this  shall 
cast  all  his  labor  of  love  into  oblivion  and  make  it  use- 
less; for  our  Lord  gives  us  His  promise  that  "Thy  Father 
whicli  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly."  Noth- 
ing- done  in  the  Savior's  name  shall  be  forgotten  or  be 
passed  by  without  the  gracious  reward  His  loving  kind- 
ness has  in  store  for  His  faithful  disciples.  "Therefore 
judge  nothing  before  the  time  until  the  Lord  come,  who 
both  will  bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of  darkness 
and  will  make  manifest  the  counsels  of  the  hearts:  and 
then  shall  every  man  have  praise  of  God."  1  Cor.  4,  5. 
^^ Whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of  these  little 
ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only  in  the  name  of  a  disciple, 
verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  re- 
ward." The  disciple  knows  that  he  merits  nothing,  but 
he  knows  also  the  abounding  love  of  his  Lord  and  is  glad, 
and  glories  in  Him. 

11.  The  second  great  duty  mentioned  is  prayer,  of 
which  verses  5-8  treat.  No  intelligent  reader  would  even 
for  a  moment  entertain  the  thought  that  our  Lord's  de- 
sign is  to  discourage  prayer.  It  is  a  necessity  of  the  soul 
that  knows  God  and  puts  any  trust  in  Him.  All  religions 
cultivate  it  and  practice  it,  and  the  more  the  heart  feels 
its  dependence  on  God  and  learns  to  trust  His  goodness 
and  power,  the  more  it  is  moved  to  pray  for  His  help. 
In  the  kingdom  of  Christ  this  is  especially  the  case,  where 
grace  and  truth  are  revealed  and  applied.  There  the 
consciousness  of  man's  sin  and  doom  and  helplessness, 
and  of  God's  compassion  and  gracious  provision  for  their 
deliverance  through  the  redemption  which  is  in  Christ, 
is  wrought  in  the  soul ;  and  sorrow  for  sin  and  faith  in 
the  pardon  pronounced,  and  the  conflicts  with  tlie  flosh 
and  the  consolations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  all  lead  to  in- 
<!essant  prayer  and  praise  and  thanksgiving.  Therefore 
our  Lord  teaches  us  to  watch  and  pray,  that  we  enter  not 
into  temptation,  and  "He  spake  a  parable  unto  them  to 


180  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

this  end,  that  men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to 
faint."  Luke  18,  1.  And  the  apostles  in  various  places  re- 
peat the  teaching:  "I  exhort  therefore  that,  first  of  all, 
supplications,  prayer,  intercessions  and  giving  of  thanks 
be  made  for  all  men,"  1  Tim.  2,  1.  In  the  verses  before 
us  the  command  is  given  again  and  again  that  we  should 
pray,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  never  ceases  to  move  us  to  the 
exercise  of  the  privilege.  It  therefore  does  not  need  men- 
tioning that  our  Lord  does  not  direct  His  rebuke  against 
prayer.  It  is  the  Pharisaic  spirit  manifesting  itself  in 
the  formalism  and  self-glorification  even  in  this  holy  ser- 
vice that  is  rebuked  and  warned  against.  Hence  in  the 
next  section  of  the  sermon  instruction  is  given  how  we 
ought  to  pray,  and  a  model  prayer,  usually  called  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  is  presented  for  our  guidance  and  use. 

"When  thou  prayest  thou  shalt  not  be  as  the  hypo- 
crites; for  they  love  to  pray  standing  in  the  synagogues 
and  in  the  corners  of  the  streets,  that  they  may  be  seen 
of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  they  have  their  reward. 
But  thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet,  and 
when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door  pray  to  thy  Father  which 
is  in  secret,  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall 
reward  thee  openly.  But  when  ye  pray  use  not  vain  repe- 
titions, as  the  heathens  do;  for  they  think  that  they  shall 
be  heard  for  their  much  speaking.  Be  ye  not  therefore 
like  unto  them;  for  your  Father  knoweth  what  things  ye 
have  need  of  before  ye  ask  Him." 

In  the  first  place,  two  manifestations  of  self-right- 
eousness and  thirst  for  the  praise  of  men  are  condemned 
in  the  practice  of  the  hypocrite,  whose  prayers  were 
rather  bids  for  human  applause  than  cries  for  divine 
mercy  and  help.  When  they  prayed  they  loved  to  take 
conspicuous  positions  in  the  synagogues  and  at  street 
crossings,  so  as  to  make  sure  of  being  see^  by  men  and 
getting  the  coveted  praise  for  their  pious  performances. 
An  illustration  of  this  undevout  engagement  in  the  form 


THE    SINCERE   SERVICE.  181 

of  prayer  is  presented  in  the  parable  of  the  Pharisee  and 
the  publican,  Luke  18,  9-14.  The  proud  and  haughty 
Pharisee,  both  by  his  deportment  and  his  words,  gave  all 
glory  to  himself,  and  showed  a  spirit  that  was  incapable 
of  appreciating  the  mercy  of  God.  Inflated  with  a  proud 
conceit  of  himself,  he  could  think  only  of  his  own  sup- 
posed achievements  and  of  his  superiority  to  the  poor 
publican,  who,  "standing  afar  off,  would  not  so  much  as 
lift  up  his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smote  upon  his  breast, 
saying:  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  Hearts  that 
are  humbled  by  a  sense  of  their  sin  and  know  no  refuge 
from  its  curse  but  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ  our  Savior, 
have  no  thought  of  flaunting  their  supposititious  right- 
eousness in  the  face  of  heaven  and  of  despising  the  poor 
sinner  who  can  only  cry  for  mercy.  When  a  sincere  man 
prays  he  appears  before  God  to  find  grace  in  time  of  need, 
not  before  men  to  win  their  admiration  and  gain  their 
applause. 

This  will  prevent  the  other  sin  which  the  hypocrites 
commit  and  which  has  the  same  bitter  root  of  selfishness. 
"When  ye  pray,  use  not  vain  repetitions,  as  the  heathen 
do;  for  they  think  that  they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much 
speaking."  This  includes  all  inappropriate  and  super- 
fluous words,  as  well  as  the  useless  and  monotonous 
repetitions  whose  purpose  is  to  make  an  impression  of 
superior  sanctity  by  drawing  out  the  prayer  to  an  extraor- 
dinary length.  The  Pharisee's  prayer  in  the  parable 
referred  to,  was  not  exorbitantly  long,  but  it  was  batto- 
logy  or  vain  repetition  still.  He  imagined  that  he  was 
better  than  other  people  and  told  God  so.  This  was  vain 
and  profane  babbling.  And  he  boasted  of  fastings  and 
tithe-payings  which  were  beyond  what  the  Lord  requires, 
and  pompously  exploited  himself  before  his  God  as  if  his 
Maker  must  make  obeisance  to  him  and  give  him  glory. 
His  prayer  was  not  very  long,  but  it  was  far  too  long  for 
all  that,  becauvSe  every  word  in  it  was  in  vain  repetition 


182  THE   SEEMON   ON   THE   MOUNT. 

of  his  selfish  and  profane  imaginings.  He  talked  entirely 
too  much,  and  his  whole  impenitent  and  self-exalting 
prayer  illustrates  the  meaning  of  our  Savior's  warning, 
"Beware  of  the  leaven  of  hypocrisy."  It  is  much  to  be 
deplored  that  the  Roman  Church  has  so  persistently  re- 
fused to  learn  of  Christ,  and  continues  its  dream  of  crea- 
ture merit  even  in  the  sacred  offices  of  prayer,  with  sin- 
gular perversity  using  the  very  model  prayer,  which  wa» 
given  to  correct  the  Pharisaic  abuses,  as  a  means  of  per- 
petuating them;  for  the  vain  repetitions  of  its  rosary  not 
only  include  numberless  "Ave  Marias,"  but  also  large 
numbers  of  "pater  nosters,"  or  Lord's  Prayers,  the  fre- 
quent saying  of  which,  over  and  over  again,  is  supposed 
to  constitute  a  good  work  that  acquires  merit  and  se- 
cures divine  rewards.  Notwithstanding  the  restoration 
of  the  Gospel  by  the  great  Reformation  of  the  16th  cen- 
tury, Rome  has  hardened  itself  against  the  precious 
truth,  teaching  for  doctrines  the  commandments  of  men. 
In  the  second  place,  our  Lord  tells  us  how  we  ought 
to  pray  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  avoiding  the  errors  of 
Pharisees  and  hypocrites,  whose  prayers  w^ere  vitiated 
by  their  self-righteous  conceits  and  thus  sank  to  the  level 
of  empty  forms  and  vain  observances.  The  heathens  use 
vain  repetitions  and  think  they  shall  be  heard  for  their 
much  speaking.  The  false  prophets  "called  on  the  name 
of  Baal  from  morning  even  until  noon,  saying,  O  Baal, 
hear  us.  But  there  was  no  voice,  nor  any  that  answered." 
1  Kings  18,  26.  The  Ephesian  idolaters  "all  with  one 
voice  about  the  space  of  two  hours  cried  out.  Great  is 
Diana  of  the  Ephesians."  Acts  19,  34.  What  good  did 
the  repetition  do  them?  Neither  to  move  a  Deity  nor  to 
persuade  a  crowd  can  the  continuous  calling  and  crying 
for  hours  be  of  any  avail.  Christians  know  in  whom  they 
believe,  and  are  aware  that  their  being  heai*d  does  not  de- 
pend upon  the  multitude  of  their  words  or  the  frequency 
with  which  they  repeat  them;  and  they  are  certain  that 


THE    SINCERE   SERVICE.  188 

their  Father  knoweth  the  things  they  have  need  of  he- 
fore  they  ask  Ilim.  Therefore  they  go  in  confidence  to 
Him  and  believe  the  promise,  "Ask  and  ye  shall  receive." 
That  Christ  tells  them  to  enter  into  their  closets  for  this 
purpose  and  shut  the  door,  is  evidently  meant  to  shut 
out  all  thought  of  making  their  prayer  merely  a  lip  ser- 
vice to  impress  the  people  with  their  piety  for  the  purpose 
of  getting  praise  of  men.  Wliat  they  want  is  that  God 
who  seeth  in  secret  should  hear  their  humble  cry  to  Him, 
in  whom  alone  is  their  help;  and  their  Father  who  seeth 
in  secret  will  reward  them  openly. 

Perplexities  which  some  have  experienced  with  re- 
gard to  our  Lord's  admonitions  are  needless.  The  whole 
scope  of  the  lesson  given  and  the  entire  context  show 
that  there  is  no  reason  for  entertaining  scruples  with  re- 
gard to  public  prayer,  and  to  earnest  importunity  in 
pleading  with  God.  The  prayers  of  the  Church  must 
necessarily  be  in  public.  Those  who  gladly  received  the 
Gospel  "continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles'  doctrine 
and  fellowship,  and  in  the  breaking  of  bread  and  in 
prayers."  Acts  2,  42.  Wherever  the  Christian  people  gath- 
ered for  worship,  the  Word  was  preached  and  prayer 
was  wont  to  be  made.  Nor  is  there  anything  that  should 
permit  a  doubt  to  enter  our  mind  whether  under  any  cir- 
cumstances our  prayers  may  be  long  or  oft  repeated.  Our 
Lord  Himself  continued  all  night  in  prayer,  when  the 
weight  of  human  sin  was  rendering  His  soul  exceeding 
sorrowful,  even  unto  death.  The  apostolic  exhortation  is 
"Continue  instant  in  prayer;"  "continue  in  prayer,  and 
watch  in  the  same  with  thanksgiving;"  "pray  without 
ceasing."  Rom.  12,  12;  Col.  7,  2;  1  Thess.  5,  17.  Even  the 
repeated  offering  of  the  same  petition  is  sometimes  the 
proper  course  to  be  pursued  in  the  patient  waiting  for 
an  answer  in  God's  good  time.  Our  Lord  Himself  taught 
us  to  be  humbly  importunate  when  He  spake  a  parable 
to  this  end,  "that  men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to 


184  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

faint."  Prayer  is  a  high  privilege  of  Christ's  disciples, 
and  He  would  have  them  prize  it  and  utilize  it  to  the 
fullest  extent,  in  public  and  private,  for  the  blessing  that 
is  in  it.  But  He  would  not  have  it  prostituted  to  selfish 
ends  and  brought  into  the  service  of  the  work-righteous- 
ness and  spurious  service  which  dishonors  the  Savior  and 
hinders  the  coming  of  His  kingdom.  How  intent  He 
was  upon  maintaining  it  and  having  it  rightly  used  is 
seen  in  the  subsequent  verses. 


SECTION  vm. 

The  Model  Prayer. 

(Matthew  6,  9-15). 

CHKISTIANS  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit  desire 
to  exercise  tlie  great  privilege  of  prayer,  which 
has  God's  command  as  well  as  promise.  Our  Lord 
warns  them  against  the  selfishness  with  which  the  Phar- 
isees vitiated  their  performance  of  what  they  recognized 
as  a  duty,  but  whose  blessing  they  did  not  appreciate. 
Believers  appreciate  it.  It  is  not  as  a  work  of  righteous- 
ness which  thej  do  that  it  is  precious  to  them.  As  a 
mere  work  of  the  law,  for  which  a  reward  is  expected 
as  a  meritorious  performance,  they  cannot  practice  it. 
Against  that  Christ  warns  and  the  spirit  in  their  hearts 
would  protest.  Saying  prayers  in  order  to  fulfill  a  legal 
obligation  is  an  idle  pretence  of  service;  and  doing  this 
with  the  carnal  thought  that  the  performance  has  a 
merit  in  it,  and  that  accordingly  God  owes  us  something 
for  it,  is  a  heathenish  delusion,  of  which  Christians 
should  never  be  guilty.  If  they  have  known  Christ  so 
that  they  can  truly  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  glory,  they  must 
know  that  they  are  saved  by  grace  through  His  merit, 
not  their  own,  and  that  all  praise  belongs  to  Him.  But 
whilst  they  avoid  such  grievous  errors  in  regard  to 
prayer,  they  highly  prize  the  privilege  which  they  have 
of  going  to  their  Heavenly  Father  in  Jesus'  name  and 
asking  for  the  daily  supply  of  their  needs  according  to 
His  gi'acious  promises.  Every  good  gift  comes  from 
above,  and  they  experience  the  need  of  liel])  from  heaven 
every  day.     Therefore  Christ  teaches  them : 

"After  this  manner  therefore  pray  ye:     Our  Father 
which  ait  in  heaven.  Hallowed  be  Thy  name.     Thy  king- 

185 


186  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

dom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven. 
Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,  And  forgive  us  our 
debts  as  we  forgive  our  debtors.  And  lead  us  not  into 
temptation,  But  deliver  us  from  evil;  for  Thine  is  the 
kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  forever.  Amen. 
For  if  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your  heavenly 
Father  will  also  forgive  you;  but  if  ye  forgive  not  men 
their  trespasses,  neither  will  your  Father  forgive  your 
trespasses." 

In  this  He  directs  His  disciples  to  pray,  shows  them 
how  to  pray,  and  gives  them  a  model  which  will  serve  as 
a  guide. 

Instead  of  the  hollow,  boastful  prayer  of  the  Phari- 
sees and  hypocrites,  the  principal  purpose  of  which  is  to 
be  seen  of  men  and  thus  promote  their  own  glory,  the 
sincere  disciple  of  Christ  is  taught  and  moved  to  go  to 
the  Father  and  tell  Him  the  desires  of  his  soul,  in  the 
confidence  of  being  heard  and  having  his  wants  supplied. 
It  is  enough  for  him  that  his  Father  sees  him  and  he  can 
have  no  object  in  being  seen  of  others,  except  so  far  as 
his  presence  in  the  house  of  God,  which  is  a  house  of 
prayer,  and  his  participation  in  the  public  worship,  is 
part  of  that  confession  which  all  Christians  are  required 
to  make  for  the  extension  and  edification  of  Christ's  king- 
dom. Therefore  not  many  words  are  necessary ;  for  Chris- 
tians do  not  think  that  they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much 
speaking,  and  their  Father  knoweth  what  they  have  need 
of  before  they  ask  Him,  so  that  lengthy  communications 
and  explications  of  these  needs  are  quite  superfluous. 
They  can  trust  their  Father's  wisdom  and  goodness,  and 
need  no  argument  to  sustain  their  petitions  or  persua- 
sions to  induce  Him  to  grant  them.  They  avoid  vain  repe- 
titions and  much  speaking  in  the  presence  of  their  God 
and  Father,  but  know  and  believe  that  "the  effectual  fer- 
vent prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much."  Jas.  5, 
16. 


THE    MODEL   PRAYER.  187 

In  all  respects  the  Lord's  Prayer  is  a  model  for 
Christian  prayer,  beginning  with  the  expression  of  a 
child's  confidence  in  a  loving  Father  and  ending  with  giv- 
ing glory  to  Him  alone;  and  in  its  brief  compass  it  in- 
cludes all  for  which  the  child  of  God  can  pray,  and  all 
that  conduces  to  his  welfare  and  his  Father's  praise.  No 
other  prayer  ever  uttered,  beautiful  and  inspiring  as 
many  recorded  in  Scripture  and  many  published  by  be- 
lievers of  ancient  and  modern  times  confessedly  are,  is  as 
compact  and  as  complete  in  all  that  properly  belongs  to 
sincere  Christian  prayer. 

The  question  whether  our  Lord  designed  to  make  the 
use  of  this  form  obligatory  upon  His  disciples  throughout 
the  whole  history  of  His  kingdom  on  earth,  is  one  that 
should  not  trouble  the  Church,  and  much  of  the  disputing 
about  it  that  has  occurred  displays  more  zeal  without 
knowledge  than  intelligent  piety:  In  the  new  dispensa- 
tion there  are  no  ceremonial  laws.  Whoever  prays  in 
Jesus'  name,  believing,  will  be  heard,  whatever  the  form 
may  be  in  which  his  prayer  is  cast.  Our  Lord  and  His 
apostles  used  other  forms  besides  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and 
the  Christians  of  all  ages  have  done  the  same.  In  the 
experience  of  all  believers  there  are  occasions  when  a, 
special  need  is  upon  them,  and  from  the  fulness  of  the 
heart  other  words  will  be  spoken,  in  the  petitions  that 
flow  from  it,  than  those  of  the  model  prayer,  or  of  any 
form  at  hand.  There  is  nothing  in  the  Scriptures  to 
hamper  the  believing  heart  in  the  expression  of  its  indi- 
vidual wants  on  special  occasions.  Sometimes  these 
wants  can  find  no  utterance  in  any  form  of  words,  our 
own  or  that  of  others.  "The  Spirit  also  helpeth  our 
infirmities,  for  we  know  not  what  we  should  pray  for 
as  we  ought,  but  the  Spirit  itself  maketh  intercession 
for  us  with  groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered.  And 
He  that  searcheth  the  hearts  knoweth  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit,   because  He   maketh   intercession   f(u*   the  saints 


188  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

according  to  the  will  of  God."  Eom.  8,  26.  27.  Chris- 
tians have  free  access  by  faith  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
through  the  atonement  made  for  all  men  by  the  sacrifice 
of  Christ,  and  their  acceptance  is  conditioned  by  no  forms 
of  any  sort.  "Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is 
liberty."    2  Cor.  3,  17. 

But  considering  that  our  Savior  gave  us  this  prayer 
as  an  example  to  teach  us  how  we  ought  to  pray,  both  as 
to  form  and  contents,  and  considering  that  what  we  ought 
to  pray  for  is  so  succinctly  and  so  clearly  and  so  fully  ex- 
pressed in  this  prayer,  Christians  gladly  heed  the  instruc- 
tion given  them,  "after  this  manner  therefore  pray  ye," 
and  as  gladly  use  their  liberty  to  employ  these  very  words 
and,  as  a  rule,  to  prefer  them  to  all  others,  as  a  beautifully 
brief  and  compactly  complete  form  of  utterance  for  the 
desires  of  their  believing  hearts.  Those  who  profess  ab- 
horrence to  all  forms  of  prayer,  on  the  plea  that  all  tend 
to  the  formalism  which  is  condemned  in  the  Pharisees, 
should  reflect  that  putting  our  petitions  into  words  al- 
ways results  in  a  form,  whether  we  employ  our  own 
words  or  those  of  another;  that  extemporized  forms  in 
the  public  worship  are  much  more  likely  to  result  in  the 
vain  repetitions  and  much  speaking  against  which  our 
Savior  warns  us  than  the  prayers  carefully  prepared  be- 
forehand; and  that  the  use  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  secures 
us  against  the  introduction  of  much  th,at  is  not  appropri- 
ate and  the  omission  of  much  that  ought  to  be  included 
in  the  prayers  and  praises  of  God's  people. 

1.  The  Prayer  begins  with  the  address  to  God  as 
"Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven."  Much  unscriptural  talk 
has  been  in  vogue,  and  perhaps  never  more  than  in  our 
time,  about  the  fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of 
man.  Whether  consciously  or  unconsciously,  the  chief  de- 
sign of  Christ's  kingdom  came  to  be  regarded  as  offering 
a  much  needed  remedy  for  the  social  ills  of  the  present  life 
and  supplying  the  necessary  helps  and  stimulants  for  the 


THE    MODEL   PRAYER.  189 

betterment  of  society.     Men  must  learn  to  live  at  peace 
with  each  other,  be  just  in  their  dealings  and  kindly  in 
their  intercourse,  and  help  each  other  in  time  of  need. 
To  this  end  they  are  all  represented  as  brethren  of  one 
great  household  with  one  great  Father  over  all,  who  is 
good  to  all  and  teaches  all  His  children  to  be  good  to  one 
another.      When    religion    enters    into    this    scheme    of 
thought  the  predominant  sentiment  naturally  is,  that  the 
one  Father  is  to  be  adored,  and  all  the  worshippers  are 
one,   whether  they   call  that   Father  Jehovah,   Jove,   or 
Lord,  or  the  grand  Architect  of  the  universe,  or  the  great 
Spirit  who  reigns  in  the  hearts  of  all  men.  Where  such  a 
conception  prevails  the  statement  of  our  Lord's  meaning, 
when  He  taught  Tlis  disciples  to  say  "Our  Father,"  is  an 
offence.    But  that  meaning  is  obvious.    He  came  to  estab- 
lish a  kingdom  which  is  not  of  this  world;   He  gathers  a 
congregation  of  believers  out  of  the  world,  who  acknowl- 
edge Him  to  be  the  way  and  the  truth  and  the  life.     "As 
many  as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become 
the  sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  His  name; 
which  were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh,  but  of  God."    John  1,  12.  13.  By  nature  all  are  chil- 
dren of  wrath,  because  all  have  sinned  and  come  short  of 
the  glory  of  God.     Therefore  we  must  not  marvel  that 
Jesus  said :    "Verily,  verily  I   say   unto  thee,   except  a 
man  be  born  again  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God." 
John  5,  3.     This  kingdom  is  the  company  of  tliose  whom 
the  Holy  Spirit  has  "begotten  again  to  a  lively  hope  by 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead."    1  Pet.  1, 
3.     Not  by  nature,  but  by  the  grace  of  our  Lord  are  we 
children  of  God.     "For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God.     For  ye  have  not  re- 
ceived the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to  fear,  but  ye  have 
received  the  Spirit  of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry  Abba, 
Father.     Tlie  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit, 
that  we  are  the  children  of  God."     Bom.  8,  14-16.     This 


190  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

was  the  great  purpose  of  Christ's  coming  into  the  world, 
that  we  might  be  saved  from  our  sins  and  made  children 
of  God  and  heirs  of  heaven.  "God  sent  forth  His  Son, 
made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law,  to  redeem  them 
that  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adop- 
tion of  sons."  Gal.  4,  4.  5.  And  this  is  effected  only  by 
believing  in  Him  and  thus  entering  His  kingdom.  "Ye 
are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus." 
Gal.  3,  2-6.  No  one,  whether- he  be  Jew  or  Gentile,  that 
by  unbelief  rejects  Christ,  is  a  child  of  God;  "for  through 
Him  we  both  have  access  by  one  Spirit  unto  the  Father." 
Eph.  4,  18. 

When  Christ  teaches  us  to  address  God  as  "Our 
Father"  in  heaven,  He  therefore  desires  that  we  should 
be  children  of  God  through  faith  in  His  name,  and  thus 
as  a  brotherhood  in  Him  pray  with  and  for  each  other 
to  His  Father  and,  through  His  atoning  work  and  the 
Holy  Spirit's  application  of  its  power  and  benefits,  our 
Father  also.  "God  would  by  these  words  invite  us  to 
believe  that  He  is  our  true  Father  and  we  are  His  true 
children,  so  that  we  may  with  all  boldness  and  confidence 
ask  Him  as  dear  children  ask  their  dear  Father."  The  rela- 
tion in  which  we  stand  to  God  by  nature,  as  sinners  under 
condemnation,  leads  to  the  distrust  of  His  goodness  and 
the  desire  to  hide  away  from  Him  in  the  fear  of  punish- 
ment; the  relation  in  which  we  stand  to  Him  by  the  grace 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  prompts  us  to  seek  His  rec- 
onciled face  and  confidently,  on  the  ground  of  His  in- 
vitations and  promises,  to  ask  Him  for  His  blessing.  "We 
love  Him  because  He  first  loved  us."  1  John  4,  19.  And  in 
that  same  love  we  embrace  our  brethren,  so  that  with  one 
heart  and  one  mind  we  approach  God  in  company  with 
each  other  and  together  call  Him  our  Father.  "For 
whosoever  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is  born  of 
God;  and  every  one  that  loveth  Him  that  begat  loveth 
Him  also  that  is  begotten  of  Him."    1  John  5, 1. 


THE   MODEL   PRAYER.  191 

The  words  "who  art  in  heaven"  remind  us  that  it  is 
not  an  earthly  father  that  we  are  addressing,  but  the 
King  of  kings,  whom  it  behooves  us  to  approach  with 
reverence,  not  bringing  our  impure  earthly  thoughts  into 
the  presence  of  His  heavenly  Majesty.  "Be  not  rash  with 
thy  mouth,  and  let  not  thy  heart  be  huntj  to  utter  any- 
thing before  God ;  for  God  is  in  heaven  and  thou  upon 
earth,  therefore  let  thy  words  be  few."  Eccl.  5,  2.  It  is 
a  reminder  that  our  praj^ers  must  not  be  mere  forms  con- 
sisting in  vain  repetitions,  but  sincere  expressions  of  the 
believing  heart's  desire  for  our  loving  Father's  help  and 
blessing. 

2.  The  highest  aim  of  the  child  of  God  is  that  He 
may  be  recognized  in  His  glory  and  the  honor  be  given 
Him  which  is  His  due.  This  is  expressed  in  the  first 
petition,  "Hallowed  be  Thy  name."  The  old  word  "hal- 
low" means  the  same  as  sanctify,  to  make  holy,  to  keep 
holy.  Here  it  is  used  in  the  latter  sense;  for  "God's 
name  is  indeed  holy  in  itself,  but  we  pray  in  this  petition 
that  it  may  be  lioly  among  us  also."  Moses  and  Aaron 
w^ere  punished  because  "Ye  sanctified  me  not  in  the 
midst  of  the  children  of  Israel."  They  did  not  do  what 
should  have  been  done  to  have  God  known  and  treated 
as  the  Holy  One.  St.  Peter  exhorts:  "Sanctify  the  Lord 
God  in  your  hearts."  That  means  that  in  our  hearts  we 
should  regard  Him  holy,  treat  Him  as  holy  in  our 
thoughts  and  affections  as  He  is  holy  in  Himself. 

We  pray  that  His  name  may  be  hallow^ed  or  sancti- 
fied. The  word  name  signifies  that  by  which  an  object  is 
known,  and  therefore  ordinarily  stands  for  the  thing  it- 
self. The  name  of  God  is  that  wMiich  presents  Him  to 
our  minds,  and  with  which  is  associated  all  that  we 
know  of  Him.  To  hallow  His  name  is  therefore  to  regard 
Him  as  holy  and  so  treat  Him  in  all  our  thoughts  and 
actions.  Tliis  is  done  "wlien  the  Word  of  God  is  taught 
in  its  truth  and  purity,  and  we  as  the  children  of  God 


192  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

also  lead  a  holy  life  according  to  it.  He  that  teaches 
and  lives  otherwise  than  God's  Word  teaches,  profanes 
the  name  of  God  among  us."  False  teaching  hinders  the 
true  knowledge  of  God  and  His  will,  and  thus  prevents 
the  hallowing  of  His  name,  because  notions  are  inculcated 
of  God  which  are  unworthy  of  Him  and  He  is  made  re- 
sponsible for  doctrines  and  conduct  that  betray  human 
infirmity  and  oftentimes  human  sin.  "Thou  that  makest 
thy  boast  of  the  law,  through  breaking  the  law  dishonor- 
est  thou  God?  For  the  name  of  God  is  blasphemed 
among  the  Gentiles  through  you,  as  it  is  written."  Rom. 
2,  23.  24.  Therefore  Avhen  we  pray  this  petition  we  ask 
God  to  give  us  and  preserve  among  us  the  pure  Gospel, 
and  give  us  grace  to  adorn  the  doctrine  with  a  holy  life, 
that  His  name  may  be  honored  by  us  and  we  may  be  in- 
strumental in  leading  others  to  know  Him  and  sanctify 
His  name. 

3.  The  second  petition  follows  in  natural  order. 
"Thy  kingdom  come."  His  name  is  glorified  by  the  estab- 
lishment of  His  reign  of  grace  on  earth  through  Christ's 
atoning  work.  "The  kingdom  of  God  comes  indeed  with- 
out our  prayer  of  itself;  but  we  pray  in  this  petition  that 
it  may  come  unto  us  also."  This  is  accomplished  "when 
our  Heavenly  Father  gives  us  His  Holy  Spirit,  so  that  by 
His  grace  we  believe  His  holy  Word  and  lead  a  godly 
life,  here  in  time  and  hereafter  in  eternity."  The  king- 
dom of  God  was  set  up  w^hen  the  Messiah  came  and 
brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the  Gospel. 
But  it  is  coming  still,  and  its  destined  extension  over  all 
the  earth  is  not  yet  completed.  There  is  much  to  be  done 
yet  before  all  the  elect  shall  be  gathered  into  the  fold  of 
the  Lord  and  all  who  are  to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  the 
great  salvation  shall  hear  the  glad  tidings.  "His  name 
shall  endure  for  ever;  His  name  shall  be  continued  as 
long  as  the  sun;  and  men  shall  be  blessed  in  Him:  all 
nations  shall  call  Him  blessed."    Ps.  72,  17.    For  His  is 


THE    MODEL   PRAYER.  193 

an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  it  must  continue  to  spread 
until  "the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  as  the  waters  cover  tlie  sea."  Isa.  11,  9.  And 
where  the  name  of  the  Lord  has  been  made  known  and 
is  hallowed,  there  is  still  the  exhortation  given  that 
we  should  "grow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our 
Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ."  2  Pet.  3,  18.  In  this 
kingdom  all  who  become  partakers  of  its  blessings  are 
required  to  work  and  are  moved  to  do  this  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  who  dwells  in  them.  For  man  does  not  enter  that 
kingdom  and  is  not  preserved  in  it  by  the  efforts  of  his 
own  will  or  the  exertion  of  his  own  natural  powers.  It 
comes  to  us  only  w^hen  God  gives  us  His  Holy  Spirit,  so 
that  by  His  grace  we  believe  His  holy  Word.  The  Word 
of  the  Gospel  is  the  means  \)^hich  the  Holy  Spirit  em- 
ploys to  work  this  faitli  in  our  hearts.  Hence  the  king- 
dom of  God  is  organized  on  earth  with  a  ministry  of  the 
Gospel  and  its  accompanying  sacraments,  in  the  admin- 
istration of  which  all  the  members  have  a  share  and 
in  regard  to  w^hich  they  all  have  a  duty. 

The  Holy  Spirit  does  His  work  of  building  tlie  king- 
dom by  the  use  of  the  Word  and  the  Sacraments,  without 
which  He  ordinarily  does  not  come  to  man;  and  the 
members  perform  their  work  when  they  make  provision 
for  the  regular  administration  of  these  holy  means  of 
grace,  by  which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  given  and  men  are 
led  to  believe  and  be  saved.  And  thus  tliey  are  led  to 
live  holy  lives,  as  becomes  God's  people  in  a  kingdom 
which  is  not  of  this  w^orld,  that  their  holy  life  may  give 
God  the  glory  and  may  commend  the  Church  to  the  re- 
spectful attention  of  all  people,  as  well  as  that  they 
themselves  may  have  the  joy  attending  the  service  of  the 
Lord  in  doing  good  w^orks  to  His  praise.  Therefore  when 
we  pray,  "Thy  kingdom  come,"  we  lay  before  God  our 
humble  request  that  He  would  preserve  the  Church 
among  us  and  extend  it  in  all  lands  and  among  all  people, 

13 


194  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

and  would  bless  the  use  of  the  means  of  grace  among  us, 
that  we,  by  His  grace  believing  His  holy  Word,  may- 
be saved,  and  in  our  lives  by  word  and  work  show  forth 
His  praise. 

4.  If  we  would  honor  the  name  of  God  and  have 
His  kingdom  come  to  us.  His  will  must  be  done.  It  is 
done  by  the  angels  in  heaven,  it  will  be  done  by  the  chil- 
dren of  God  when  they  get  home  to  their  Father's  house, 
^'  hereafter  in  eternity."  The  third  petition,  ''Thy  will 
be  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven,"  therefore  appropri- 
ately comes  next.  "The  good  and  gracious  will  of  God 
Is  done  indeed  without  our  prayer,  but  we  pray  in  this 
petition  that  it  may  be  done  among  us  also."  The  will 
of  God's  infinite  love  to  send  His  only  begotten  Son  into 
the  world  as  a  sacrifice  for  human  sin;  the  coming  of 
Christ,  in  pursuance  of  this  will,  to  live  and  die  for  the 
fulfillment  of  all  righteousness  on  our  behalf;  the  mission 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  apply  the  redemption  to  sinners, 
working  faith  in  them  by  the  Word  and  Sacraments  unto 
their  salvation,  and  sanctifying  them  for  His  service,  is 
done  without  our  prayers,  though  we  might  fail  to  share 
the  benefits  designed  for  the  children  of  men.  And  the 
will  of  God  is  done  in  heaven,  by  angels  and  the  spirits 
of  just  men  made  perfect,  without  our  prayers.  But  we 
are  yet  on  earth,  and  as  Christian  believers  we  desire 
that  it  should  be  done  here,  in  us  and  all  around  us;  and 
to  that  end  our  Savior  teaches  us  to  pray. 

This  good  will  of  God  is  done  "when  God  breaks  and 
hinders  every  evil  counsel  and  will,  w^hich  would  not  let 
us  hallow  God's  name  nor  let  His  kingdom  come,  such  as 
the  will  of  the  devil,  the  world,  and  our  own  flesh,  but 
strengthens  and  preserves  us  steadfast  in  His  Word  and 
faith  unto  our  end.  This  is  God's  good  and  gracious 
will,"  Satan  is  the  bitter  enemy  of  God  and  His  king- 
dom and  righteousness,  and  resists  every  effort  to  ac- 
complish His  will;  and  the  world  which  lieth  in  wicked- 


THE    MODEL   PRAYER.  195 

ness,  and  our  own  sinful  flesh  are  in  lea}i;ue  with  Satan 
to  obstruct  these  efforts  and  prevent  their  success.  The 
more  need  is  there  for  earnest  prayer,  tliat  the  will  of  the 
devil  and  of  the  world  and  the  flesh  may  be  defeated  by 
the  power  of  God,  and  His  holy  will  may  be  done  in  spite 
of  all  the  raoin«-  and  raving-  of  the  enemy  against  it. 
That  good  and  gracious  will  is  done  by  the  believer  but 
imperfectly;  and  as  the  flesh  is  weak,  though  the  spirit 
is  willing,  he  is  daily  admonished  by  his  own  experience 
not  to  grow  weary  in  his  entreaties  to  God,  that  he  may 
have  more  patience  in  bearing  the  tribulations  through 
which  he  must  pass  and  more  zeal  in  doing  the  work  to 
which  he  is  called,  so  that  the  will  of  God  may  be  done 
and  His  glory  promoted. 

5.  The  fourth  petition,  "Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread,"  pertains  to  our  bodily  needs.  In  our  prayer  we 
are  taught  to  think  first  of  God,  and  to  ask  for  those 
things  which  pertain  to  the  glory  of  His  great  name,  the 
coming  of  His  kingdom  of  truth  and  righteousness,  and 
the  accomplishment  of  His  good  and  gracious  will.  Only 
then  are  we  to  think  of  ourselves  and  our  manifold  wants. 
Nor  must  w^e  be  surprised  that  among  these  the  wants 
of  our  bodies  should  be  mentioned  first,  though  these  are 
by  no  means  the  most  important.  In  a  certain  sense 
they  lie  at  the  foundation  of  all  others.  The  introduc- 
tion of  sin  into  the  world  and  the  curse  which  lies  upon 
it  has  made  subsistence  seem  precarious  and  the  pro- 
curing of  bread  a  constant  and  harrowing  care,  of  which 
our  crippled  nature  cannot  divest  itself  and  which  can 
be  thrown  off  only  by  that  faith  that  comes  confidently 
to  our  Father  in  the  assurance  that  He  will  provide  for 
His  children.  The  other  things  of  this  life  cannot  rivet 
our  attention  while  starvation  is  staring  us  in  the  face 
and  the  dread  of  it  is  tormenting  us.  Our  nature's  first 
care  is  for  meat  and  drink  and  raiment,  and  this  must 
occupy  our  minds  and  engage  the  activity  of  our  bodies 


196  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

chiefly,  as  long  as  we  have  not  been  brought  to  trust  in 
God's  promises  and  east  our  cares  on  Him;  and  when  this 
happy  state  is  attained  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
it  will  find  its  appropriate  exercise  in  calling  upon  our 
Fatlier  in  heaven  who  careth  for  us,  to  supply  all  our 
wants  according  to  His  gracious  promise.  It  is  the 
Lord's  way  of  relieving  us  from  the  cares  which  are  re- 
buked in  a  subsequent  part  of  the  sermon,  and  setting 
our  minds  free  to  give  attention  to  the  paramount  inter- 
ests of  the  soul  and  the  life  beyond  the  grave. 

The  wording  of  the  petition  in  the  original  is  so  un- 
usual as  to  have  caused  some  perplexity  and  some  con- 
troversy; but  the  result  of  study  and  investigation  has 
always  been  substantially  the  same  as  that  expressed  in 
our  English  translation.  The  word  "bread,"  as  is  the 
case  in  common  usage,  embraces  all  the  necessaries  of 
life,  as  when  we  speak  of  earning  our  bread.  It  means 
"everything  that  belongs  to  the  support  and  wants  of  the 
body,  such  as  food,  drink,  clothing,  shoes,  house,  home, 
field,  cattle,  money,  goods,  a  pious  spouse,  pious  children, 
pious  servants,  pious  and  faithful  rulers,  good  govern- 
ment, good  weather,  peace,  health,  discipline,  honor,  good 
friends,  faithful  neighbors,  and  the  like."  It  is  a  peti- 
tion for  God's  blessing  upon  us  in  our  earthly  pilgrimage, 
"that  we  may  lead  a  quiet  and  peaceable  life  in  all  godli- 
ness and  honesty."  We  ask  for  what  is  necessary  to- 
day: we  do  not  know  whether  we  shall  be  living  to- 
morrow, but  we  do  know  that  to-morrow  God  will  be  living 
still,  and  if  we  live  we  can  then  ask  for  to-morrow's  bread, 
as  Christians  ought  to  pray  daily  for  each  day's  needs. 
"God  gives  daily  bread  indeed  without  our  prayer,  also 
to  all  the  wicked;  but  we  pray  in  this  petition  that  He 
would  lead  us  to  know  it,  and  to  receive  our  daily  bread 
with  thanksgiving."  The  petition  recognizes  our  depend- 
ence upon  God  for  all  that  we  possess,  with  childlike 


THE   MODEL   PRAYER.  197 

confidence  asks  Him  to  give  us  what  we  need,  and  brings 
to  Him  our  thank-offering  for  His  daily  gifts. 

6.  Sin  is  man's  trouble  on  earth,  and  his  barrier  in 
the  way  to  heaven.  Unless  that  is  removed,  all  is  lost. 
This  is  not  overlooked  in  our  Lord's  Prayer.  The  fifth 
petition  brings  it  before  our  Father  with  the  same  confi- 
dence with  which  the  other  petitions  are  presented.  "For- 
give US  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass 
against  us."  If  any  doubt  remained  in  a  reader's  mind 
whetlier  the  prayer  was  designed  for  believing  Christians, 
who  alone  are  true  children  of  God  and  alone  can  truly 
call  Him  Father,  this  petition  must  convince  him,  assum- 
ing that  he  is  willing  to  be  instructed  by  the  Savior's 
words;  for  only  believers  can  say  to  God  with  sincerity, 
forgive  us  our  sins  as  we  forgive  those  who  have  sinned 
against  us.  The  petition  implies  a  consciousness  of  sin, 
but  makes  no  attempt  to  justify  it.  Forgiveness  is  all 
that  it  asks,  and  all  that  with  truth  and  sincerity  we  can 
ask.  He  who  acknowledges  liis  sins,  but  does  not  repent, 
can  have  no  disposition  to  appear  before  God  with  the 
burden  resting  upon  him  which  unfits  him  for  such  an  ap- 
pearance. "We  pray  in  this  petition  that  our  Father  in 
heaven  would  not  look  upon  our  sins,  nor  on  their  ac- 
count deny  our  prayer:  for  we  are  worthy  of  none  of  the 
things  for  which  we  pray,  neither  have  we  deserved 
them:  but  that  He  would  grant  them  all  to  us  by  grace; 
for  we  daily  sin  much,  and  indeed  desers^e  nothing  but 
punishment:  so  will  we  also  heartily  forgive  and  readily 
do  good  to  those  who  sin  against  us." 

What  gives  the  Christian  confidence  to  offer  such  a 
petition,  notwithstanding  all  his  unworthiness  to  receive 
blessings  and  his  conscious  desert  of  punishment,  is  that 
God  in  His  infinite  love  and  mercy  gave  His  own  dear 
Son  to  save  us,  "who  was  delivered  for  our  offences  and 
was  raised  again  for  our  justification,"  Rom.  4,  25,  "that 


198  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in 
His  name  among  all  nations."  Luke  24,  47.  This  preach- 
ing Christians  believe,  and  therefore  they  go  to  the  Father, 
to  whom  they  have  access  in  Jesus'  name,  and  are  sure 
that  their  sins  are  forgiven  daily  and  richly,  and  that  no 
good  thing  vi^ill  be  denied  them  on  account  of  their  sins; 
for  "He  that  spared  not  His  own  Son,  but  delivered  Him 
up  for  us  all,  how  shall  He  not  with  Him  also  freely  give 
us  all  things?  Kom.  8,  32.  They  who  come  to  the  Father 
in  the  name  of  Him  who  died  for  their  sins  have  no  fear 
that  their  prayer  will  not  be  heard. 

The  second  part  of  the  petition  "As  we  forgive  those 
who  trespass  against  us,"  is  misunderstood  when  it  is 
represented  as  a  condition  of  their  forgiveness,  as  if  our 
forgiveness  of  others  constituted  some  sort  of  merit  by 
which  our  Father  is  moved  to  forgive  us.  But  it  does 
imply  that  those  who  offer  the  petition  are  children  of 
God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  therefore  by  the  grace 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  have  the  will  to  forgive  others  as  God 
forgives  them.  Our  Lord  lays  stress  upon  this  in  the  14 
and  15  verses  of  this  chapter,  which  form  a  note  to  the 
fifth  petition.  There  He  says :  "For  if  ye  forgive  men 
their  trespasses,  your  heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive 
you;  but  if  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither 
will  your  Father  forgive  your  trespasses."  Let  not  the 
ground  of  our  forgiveness  be  lost  out  of  sight.  Christ 
died  for  our  sins,  fulfilling  all  righteousness  in  our  stead; 
that  is  the  reason  why  God  forgives  us.  If  a  condition 
were  to  be  mentioned,  it  must  be  found  in  faith ;  for  only 
he  who  believes  is  in  actual  possession  of  the  forgiveness 
of  sins.  But  this  again  is  not  because  something  has  been 
done  by  us  on  account  of  which  God  is  willing  to  forgive 
us.  Faith  is  indispensable,  because  in  the  merciful  plan 
of  God  it  is  the  only  means  on  our  part  to  appropriate  the 
forgiveness  of  sin  which  God  bestows  freely,  graciously, 
for  Christ's  sake,  not  for  the  sake  of  anything  that  we 


THE    MODEL   PRAYER.  191) 

have  done  or  can  do.  But  for  onr  own  assurance  it  is 
liiohly  important  to  r(Miiend)er,  that  if  our  faith  is  sincere 
and  we  have  tvnly  appropriated  God's  gracious  forgive- 
ness, we  have  the  grace  also  to  forgive  others. 

7.  But  wliilst  the  work  of  onr  Lord  is  perfect  and 
the  remission  of  our  sins  rests  on  a  ground  which  no  power 
of  earth  or  hell  can  overthrow,  our  work  is  full  of  im- 
perfections. On  this  account  we  not  only  meet  daily  for- 
giveness and  daily  pray  for  it,  but  must  be  on  our  guard 
lest  we  fall  away  from  the  only  sure  foundation  of  our 
hopes.  Tlierefore  our  Lord  teaches  us,  in  the  sixth  peti- 
tion, further  to  pray:  "And  lead  us  not  into  temptation." 
The  form  of  the  petition  suggests  to  some  minds,  taking 
the  word  temptation  in  the  sinister  sense  of  probation 
with  the  purpose  of  effecting  a  fall,  the  anxious  query, 
whether  we  are  to  assume  that  God  does  sometimes  lead 
us  into  snares.  That  is  an  evident  misapprehension,  the 
meaning  being  clearly  this,  that  our  heavenly  Father 
would  protect  us  against  the  snares  which  the  enemy 
places  in  our  way  to  compass  our  destruction.  Luther's 
explanation  is  in  exact  accord  with  the  mind  of  our  Savior: 
"God  indeed  tempts  no  man ;  but  we  pray  in  this  petition 
that  He  would  guard  and  keep  us,  so  that  the  devil  and  the 
world  and  the  Hesh  may  not  deceive  us,  nor  seduce  us 
into  misbelief,  despair  or  other  great  shame  and  vice; 
and  thougli  we  be  assailed  by  them,  that  still  we  may 
finally  overcome  and  obtain  tlie  victor}-."  This  is  what 
the  Scriptures  teach  us  on  the  subject:  "Let  no  man  say 
when  he  is  tempted,  I  am  tempted  of  God ;  for  God  cannot 
be  tempted  with  evil,  neither  tempteth  He  any  man;  but 
every  man  is  tempted  when  he  is  drawn  away  of  his  own 
lust  and  enticed.  Then  when  lust  hath  conceived,  it 
bringeth  forth  sin,  and  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth 
forth  death."  James  1,  13-15.  The  evil  is  not  in  the  ob- 
jects which  we  meet  in  the  journey  of  life  and  with  which 
Ave  must  deal  in  the  duties  of  our  calling,  but  in  Satan 


200  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

and  men,  whose  will  opposes  the  good  will  of  God  and 
abuses  the  things  which  He  has  given  for  our  use.  Money, 
for  example,  is  not  a  wicked  thing,  nor  is  it  sinful  to  have 
it  and  use  it,  but  it  becomes  a  temptation  when  we  lust 
after  it,  the  result  of  which,  if  the  longing  is  not  resisted 
and  overcome,  will  be  the  sinful  act  of  fraud  or  theft, 
the  fall  from  grace,  and  finally  death.  The  fault  is  in  us, 
and  against  the  rise  and  progress  of  such  greed  our  prayer 
is  directed. 

That  which  our  lust  makes  a  temptation  to  evil 
would  otherwise  be  merely  a  trial  of  our  faith  which  is 
unavoidable,  and  which  God  makes  a  blessing  to  His 
faithful  children.  Therefore  St.  James  writes  again :  "My 
brethren,  count  it  all  joy  when  ye  fall  into  divers  tempta- 
tions, knowing  this,  that  the  trial  of  your  faith  worketh 
patience.  But  let  patience  have  her  perfect  work."  Jas. 
1,  2-4.  And  again  in  v.  12 :  "Blessed  is  the  man  that  en- 
dureth  temptation;  for  when  he  is  tried,  he  shall  receive 
the  crown  of  life  which  the  Lord  hath  promised  to  them 
that  love  Him."  The  evil  uses  to  which  all  earthly  things 
may  be  put  make  the  Christian  life  a  daily  trial  of  our 
faith  and  love,  because  the  devil  and  the  world  and  the 
flesh  are  continually  suggesting  these  evil  uses  for  self- 
gratification.  The  Christian  life  is  therefore  a  continual 
conflict  between  the  Spirit  and  the  flesh.  "Beloved,  think 
it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial  which  is  to  try 
you,  as  though  some  strange  thing  happened  unto  you; 
l>ut  rejoice,  inasmuch  as  ye  are  partakers  of  Christ's  suf- 
ferings, that  when  His  glory  shall  be  revealed  ye  may  be 
glad  also  with  exceeding  joy,"  1  Pet.  4, 12. 13.  All  the  ills, 
physical  and  moral,  individual  and  social  that  have  come 
into  the  Avorld  as  a  consequence  of  sin,  put  our  Chris- 
tian sincerity  on  probation,  and  every  pain  and  even 
pleasure  may  be  a  temptation,  which  trials  always  become 
when  our  hearts  turn  from  the  purpose  to  glorify  God 
to  the  sinful  gratification  of  self.     When  Ave  are  not  on 


THE    MODEL   PRAYER.  201 

our  guard  onr  flesh  deceives  us  and  we  are  seduced  into 
misbelief  and  despair,  or  other  great  shame  and  vice. 
Our  prayer  is  that  God  would  so  lead  us  that  such  calam- 
ity may  not  come  upon  us.  The  trials  will  come  and  we 
do  not  ask  to  be  exempt  from  them.  They  are  necessary 
incidents  in  our  earthly  condition,  and  God  turns  them 
all  to  blessings,  when  we  meet  them  in  His  service  and 
humbly  trust  in  Him  in  the  denial  of  self  and  devotion 
to  His  will.  But  we  do  ask  that  we  may  endure  the  trial 
and  be  found  approved.  And  for  this  we  have  the  divine 
promise.  "There  hath  no  temptation  taken  you  but  such 
as  is  common  to  man;  but  God  is  faithful,  who  will  not 
suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye  are  able,  but  will 
with  the  temptation  also  make  a  way  to  escape,  that  je 
may  be  able  to  bear  it."  1  Cor.  10,  13.  Even  when  our 
deceitful  hearts  incline  to  the  wicked  seductions  of  the 
world  and  the  devil,  and  the  struggle  with  the  flesh  is 
upon  us,  we  know  that  God  can  and  will  help,  and  there- 
fore confidently  ask  Him  to  give  us  the  victory. 

8.  Finally  we  pray  in  the  seventh  petition,  "But 
deliver  us  from  evil."  That  means  ultimately  deliverance 
from  every  tribulation  that  sin  has  brought  into  this  world 
and  from  this  earthly  life  itself.  "We  pray  in  this  petition, 
as  the  sum  of  all,  that  our  Father  in  heaven  would  deliver 
us  from  every  evil  of  body  and  soul,  property  and  honor, 
and  finally,  when  our  last  hour  has  come,  grant  us  a 
blessed  end,  and  graciously  take  us  from  this  vale  of  tears 
to  Himself  in  heaven."  We  would  not  live  alway  in  the 
present  world,  which  sin  has  made  a  wilderness  that  is 
full  of  trouble  and  sorrow.  The  Christian  is  content  to 
live  here  as  a  stranger  and  pilgrim  journeying  to  a  bet- 
tor land,  and  do  In's  work  here  as  a  servant  of  God,  who 
guides  him,  ])rotects  him,  blesses  him,  and  makes  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  him.  He  does  not  murmur 
nor  complain  that  he  must  suffer;  at  least  he  knows 
that  if  niurmurings  arise  they  come  from  the  flesh  and 


202  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

must  be  resisted  as  temptations  to  sin  against  the 
Lord  who  rules  over  him  and  who  doeth  all  things 
well.  But  he  would  fain  be  released  from  the  burdens 
which  he  must  bear,  and  is  therefore  glad  to  seek  help 
and  comfort  in  prayer  to  Him  who  has  promised  deliver- 
ance in  due  time  and  in  due  measure.  As  the  evils  of  this 
world  include  not  only  sin  in  ourselves,  with  the  internal 
disturbances  which  it  causes,  but  also  all  its  consequences 
in  nature  and  society,  we  do  not  ask  to  be  exempt  from 
the  common  lot  of  men  to  suffer  pain  and  sickness,  losses 
in  property  and  aspersions  of  our  good  name,  nor  to  be 
at  once  transferred  from  earth  to  heaven  and  thus  rid  of 
earthly  woe.  This  we  must  leave  in  our  Father's  hands, 
and  rejoice  that  He  cares  for  us  and  will  in  His  wisdom 
and  goodness  do  for  us  what  is  best.  We  leave  that  to 
Him,  but  still  we  pray,  "deliver  us  from  evil."  And  our 
Savior  has  taught  us  thus  to  pray,  so  that  we  are  sure  that 
we  are  doing  right  when  we  come  to  our  Father  with  such 
a  petition.  Our  Lord  Himself  so  prayed  for  us :  "I  pray 
not  that  Thou  shouldst  take  them  out  of  the  world,  but 
that  Thou  shouldst  keep  them  from  the  evil."  He  will 
guard  us  against  the  deadly  power  of  sin,  and  will  in  His 
own  time,  when  we  have  served  His  purpose  in  our  sta.y 
on  earth,  take  us  to  Himself  in  heaven.  Thus  all  is  well. 
9.  The  prayer  concludes  with  an  epilog,  generally 
called  the  doxology,  which  perhaps  was  not  originally  a 
part  of  it  and  which  is  not  given  in  the  gospel  of  St.  Luke, 
but  which  forms  an  appropriate  ending  of  the  beautiful 
prayer.  The  words  are :  "For  Thine  is  the  kingdom,  and 
the  power,  and  the  glory,  forever.  Amen."  We  are  taught 
to  pray  as  members  of  the  kingdom  which  is  not  of  this 
world,  and  in  which,  through  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  we  have  by  faith  the  peace  of  God  on  earth  and 
the  gracious  hope  of  living  in  blessedness  forever  in 
heaven.  This  gives  zest  to  our  prayer  and  makes  us  sure 
that  we  shall  be  heard.    The  kingdom  is  His  and  He  will 


THE    MODEL   PRAYER.  203 

protect  and  prosper  it,  and  see  that  it  attains  the  end  of 
its  establishment.  And  His  is  the  power,  so  that  nothing 
can  liinder  the  attainment  of  His  purpose;  for  omnipo- 
tence is  enlisted  in  its  favor.  How  could  the  Christian 
doubt  that  every  request  which  our  Lord  teaches  us  to 
make  will  be  granted,  when  He  who  teaches  us  thus  to 
pray  has  infinite  power  to  answer  our  petitions?  And 
all  the  more  confidence  can  the  believer  have  that  he  shall 
receive  what  he  asks,  because  the  glory  all  belongs  to  God 
and  he  delights  to  ascribe  it  to  Him.  The  conclusion  is 
adapted  to  inspire  the  same  confidence  of  being  heard 
which  is  given  in  the  introduction.  And  the  amen  has  the 
same  design.  It  means  that  "I  should  be  certain  that 
these  petitions  are  acceptable  to  my  Father  in  heaven  and 
heard,  for  He  Himself  has  commanded  us  to  pray  and 
has  promised  to  hear  us.  Amen,  Amen;  that  is  yea,  yea, 
it  shall  be  so."  Christians  must  not  doubt  when  God  tells 
them  to  say  Amen  to  their  prayer.  He  says  that  it  shall 
be  so,  and  shall  we  not  believe  him?  "All  things  whatso- 
ever ye  shall  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye  shall  receive.'^ 
Matt.  21,  22.  It  is  those  who  ask  not,  or  who  ask  in  un- 
belief, that  receive  not.  "This  is  the  confidence  that  we 
have  in  Him,  that  if  w^e  ask  anything  according  to  His 
will,  He  heareth  us."  1  John  5,  14. 


SECTION  IX. 

The  Pharisaic  Fasting* 
(Matthew  6,  1648). 

**  ^H^OREOVEK,  when  ye  fast,  be  not  as  the  hyp- 
Jril3  ocrites,  of  a  sad  countenance,  for  they  dis- 
figure their  faces,  that  they  may  appear  unto 
men  to  fast.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  they  have  their  re- 
ward. But  thou,  when  thou  fastest,  anoint  thy  head 
and  wash  thy  face,  that  thou  appear  not  unto  men  to 
fast,  but  unto  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret,  and  thy 
Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly." 

Considering  the  abuse  to  which  fasting  was  sub- 
jected by  the  Pharisees  and  the  scandals  which  have 
been  associated  with  it  in  the  Church,  we  might  ex- 
pect that  Christ,  when  He  comes  to  speak  of  this,  would 
renounce  and  condemn  the  practice  altogether.  The 
regulations  in  vogue  among  the  Jews  pertaining  to  it 
were  human  ordinances,  which  served  no  good  purpose, 
and  the  abuses  readily  attached  themselves  to  it.  Our 
Lord  foreknew  also  that  such  abuses  would  be  con- 
nected with  its  continuance  among  His  disciples,  so  that 
Christian  readers  would  experience  little  surprise  if  He 
had  entirely  forbidden  fasting  as  a  needless  external 
discipline.  But  the  abuse  does  not  abolish  the  use,  and 
it  is  the  abuse,  not  the  use,  which  He  condemns. 

Fasting  was  commanded  in  the  old  dispensation  only 
on  the  day  of  atonement,  but  was  freely  practiced  and 
frequently  commended  as  a  generally  recognized  aux- 
iliary in  the  prosecution  of  a  holy  life.  The  Pharisaic 
multiplication  of  fasts  and  days  of  fasting  was  by  their 
own  device,  and  their  human  ordinances  in  this  regard 

204 


THE   PHARISAIC    FASTING.  205 

imposed  burdens  which  were  not  laid  upon  the  Jewish 
people  by  the  Mosaic  law.  Vain  conceits  of  the  efficacy 
soon  attached  themselves  to  the  self-chosen  fasting,  and 
as  early  as  the  times  of  Isaiah  evils  were  connected  with 
it  which  called  forth  the  prophet's  rebuke.  "Wherefore 
have  we  fasted,  say  they,  and  thou  seest  not?  wherefore 
have  we  afflicted  our  soul,  and  thou  takest  no  knowl- 
edge? Behold,  in  the  day  of  your  fast  ye  find  pleasure 
and  exact  all  your  labors.  Behold,  ye  fast  for  strife  and 
debate,  and  to  smite  with  the  fist  of  wickedness:  ye  shall 
not  fast  as  ye  do  this  day,  to  make  your  voice  to  be  heard 
on  high.  Is  it  such  a  fast  that  I  have  chosen?  a  day  for 
a  man  to  afflict  his  soul?  is  it  to  bow  down  his  head  as  a 
bulrush  and  to  spread  sackcloth  and  ashes  under  him? 
Wilt  thou  call  this  a  fast  and  an  acceptable  day  to  the 
Lord?  Is  not  this  the  fast  that  I  have  chosen,  to  loose 
the  bands  of  wickedness,  to  undo  the  heavy  burdens, 
and  to  let  the  oppressed  go  free,  and  that  ye  break  every 
yoke?  Is  it  not  to  deal  thy  bread  to  the  hungry  and  that 
thou  bring  the  poor  that  are  cast  out  to  thy  house?  when 
thou  seest  the  naked,  that  thou  cover  him,  and  that 
thou  hide  not  thyself  from  thine  own  flesh?"  Isa.  58,  3-7. 
The  Mosaic  law  rather  tolerated  than  ordained  the  fast- 
ing so  much  in  vogue,  so  highly  prized,  and  so  greatly 
abused  by  the  Israelites.  In  the  times  of  our  Savior 
fasting  was  classed  by  their  teachers  with  almsgiving 
and  prayer  as  one  of  the  great  virtues  of  the  people  of 
God,  and  the  Pharisees  prided  themselves  in  the  zeal 
with  which  they  cultivated  and  practiced  it.  Among 
the  boasts  of  the  proud  Pharisee  of  the  parable  was  this, 
that  he  fasted  twice  in  the  week,  thinking  himself  better 
than  the  poor  publican,  not  only  because  he  was  not, 
like  him,  a  great  sinner,  but  that  he  had  even  many 
works  of  supererogation  to  his  credit. 

Notwithstanding  this  our  Lord  did  not  forbid  fasting. 
The  law  did  not  require  it,  but  it  had  its  uses  as  a  dis- 


206  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

cipline.     It  was  the  abuse  that  He  desired  to  abolish, 
not  the  use.     This  is  apparent  from  His  answer  to  the 
disciples  of  John  the  Baptist,  who  asked  Him,  "Why  do 
we  and  the  Pharisees  fast  oft,  but  thy  disciples  fast  not? 
And  Jesus  said  unto  them.  Can  the  children  of  the  bride- 
chamber  mourn  as  long  as  the  bridegroom  is  with  them? 
But  the  days  will  come  when  the  bridegroom  shall  be 
taken  from  them,  and  then  shall  they  fast.     No  man 
putteth  a  piece  of  new  cloth  unto  an  old  garment,  for 
that  which  is  put  in  to  till  it  up  taketh  from  the  garment, 
and  the  rent  is  made  worse."     Matt.  9,  14-16.    Fasting- 
is  afflicting  the  soul  in  self-mortiflcation.     That  is  ap- 
propriate in  times  of  sorrow,  but  not  in  times  of  Joy. 
When  Jesus,  your  heavenly  Bridegroom,  is  with  you,  it 
is  a  time  of  rejoicing,  and  fasting  would  not  be  proper. 
Sorrows  will  come  in  the  natural  order  of  God's  govern- 
ment, and  then  is  the  time  to  bear  them;   we  must  not 
distress  ourselves  when  He  gives  us  occasion  for  glad- 
ness.    And  more  than  this  our  Savior  impresses  in  His 
answer.     The  Gospel  has  come  to  take  the  place  of  the 
law.     It  is  no  more  suitable  now  to  patch  up  the  legal 
ordinances  with  its  new  cloth  than  it  would  be  to  patch 
up  an  old  garment  with  new  material  that  would  not  hold 
in  the  old  that  is  Avorn  out,  but  would  tear  it  and  make  the 
rent  worse.     The  new  dispensation  has  no  use  for  human 
ordinances  such  as  those  bound  upon  the  Jews  in  the  old, 
but  introduces  a  new  life  from  the  fulness  of  Christ.     "If 
any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature;  old  things  are 
passed  away ;  behold  all  things  are  become  new."    2  Cor. 
5,  17.    All  the  efforts  of  erring  religionists,  whether  they 
be  called  Romanists  or  Socinians,  to  mend  Judaism  and 
give  it  a  Christian  coloring,  only  deludes  souls  and  hind- 
ers the  triumph  of  the  Gospel.     Fasting  has  no  merit  and 
no  power  to  save,  and  no  obligation  is  laid  "upon  Christ's 
disciples  to  observe  it. 

But  it  does  not  follow  that  it  is  forbidden  them.    Our 


THE   PFIAUISAIC    FASTING.  207 

Lord  says  that  the  days  will  come  when  they  shall  fast, 
and  the  in.striK'tion  uiveu  in  the  text  assumes  its  practice, 
aud  sliows  the  siuful  abuse  that  is  to  be  shunned.  His  dis- 
ciples liad  occasion  for  sorrow  when  He  was  removed 
from  them  by  His  death  upon  the  cross,  and  they  were 
left  for  a  little  while  as  sheep  without  a  Shepherd  when 
His  body  lay  in  the  grave.  And  later,  when  the  persecu- 
tions came  aud  they  were  cruelly  treated,  as  their  Master 
liad  been  treated  before  them,  they  were  often  bowed  down 
with  grief  and  even  with  pain.  Then  mourning  and  fast- 
ing was  in  accord  with  their  condition. 

Fasting  consists  primarily  in  abstaining  for  a  season 
from  the  customary  meat  and  drink,  the  proper  use  of 
which  has  nothing  sinful  in  it.  Naturally,  when  men  for 
good  reason  see  fit  to  engage  in  it,  the  abstinence  will  be 
extended  to  other  appetites  and  desires  in  our  nature  that 
seek  gratification.  The  underlying  principle  is  that  of 
making  everything  subservient  to  the  eternal  interests  of 
the  soul.  This  is  expressed  by  St.  Paul  when  lie  says : 
"I  keep  under  my  body  and  bring  it  into  subjection,  lest 
that  by  any  means  wlien  I  liave  preached  to  others  I  my- 
self should  be  a  castaway."  1  Cor.  9,  27.  In  this  wider 
sense  fasting  would  include  all  that  is  involved  in  the  self- 
denial  and  self-discipline,  so  important  in  the  Christian 
struggle  for  the  maintenance  of  spiritual  life,  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  lusts  of  the  flesli.  "There  is  now  no  condemna- 
tion to  them  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus;  Avho  walk  not  after 
tlie  fiesh,  but  after  the  Spirit."  Kom.  8,  1.  "Therefore, 
brethren,  we  are  debtors  not  to  the  flesh,  to  live  after  the 
flesh.  For  if  ye  live  after  the  flesli,  ye  shall  die,  but  if  ye 
tliroiigh  the  Spirit  do  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  bod.y,  ye 
shall  live.  For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
they  are  the  sons  of  God."  Rom.  8,  12-14.  Tt  is  there- 
fore easy  to  understand  why  fasting  was  retained  in  the 
Christian  Church,  Even  in  the  limited  sense  of  absti- 
nence from   moat  and  drink,  that  the  flosh  mav   not  be 


208  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

pampered  by  indulgence  and  gain  ascendency  over  the 
Spirit's  work  in  our  hearts,  it  has  important  uses.  All 
that  is  needed  is  to  safeguard  it  against  abuse. 

Fasting  must  not  be  regarded  as  necessary,  whether 
as  a  duty  under  the  law  or  a  means  of  grace  under  the 
Gospel,  and  must  not  be  practiced  as  a  meritorious  work. 

It  is  not  made  obligatory  by  any  divine  law,  so  that 
its  performance  in  any  given  form  is  a  Christian  duty. 
It  is  wholly  a  matter  of  Christian  liberty.  The  flesh  must 
be  crucified,  if  we  would  be  faithful  disciples  of  Christ 
and  live  as  children  of  God.  Of  that  there  can  be  no  doubt 
in  Christian  minds.  And  if  fasting  be  understood  to  mean 
simply  that,  it  is  plainly  a  requirement  of  the  Christian 
life  and  thus  a  Christian  duty.  But  let  us  not  misunder- 
stand the  matter  and  needlessly  trouble  ourselves.  Con- 
fusion makes  trouble.  To  crucify  the  flesh  with  the  affec- 
tions and  lusts  is  a.  manifest  duty  for  spiritual  self-preser- 
vation, and  fasting  is  denying  ourselves  some  indulgences 
as  a  means  to  that  end.  But  when  fasts  are  prescribed  to 
us,  such  as  abstaining  from  certain  kinds  of  food  and 
certain  kinds  of  drink,  the  Christian  reasonably  asks: 
Where  is  that  written  in  the  Word  of  God?  He  is  a  free 
man  in  Christ,  and  in  his  conscience  knows  himself  bound 
by  no  law  but  that  of  God.  "Stand  fast  therefore  in  the 
liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made  us  free,  and  be  not 
entangled  again  with  the  yoke  of  bondage."  Gal.  5,  1. 
No  man  is  our  Master  but  Christ.  If,  for  example,  the 
demand  be  made  upon  us  to  abstain  from  eating  pork  at 
any  time,  or  eating  any  kind  of  meat  on  certain  days; 
or  it  be  forbidden  us  to  take  a  cup  of  coffee  or  a  glass  of 
wine,  the  believer  in  Christ,  jealous  of  his  liberty,  properly 
asks  by  what  authority  such  a  demand  or  such  a  prohi- 
bition is  imposed  upon  him.  He  is  free  in  these  things, 
because  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink,  and 
can  recognize  no  obligation  to  obey  human  ordinances, 
whether  as  substitutes  for  those  which  are  divine  or  as 


THE    PHARISAIC   FASTING.  209 

additions  to  them.  Only  God  has  authority  over  him.  Such 
fastin<?  he  is  free  to  practice,  but  no  human  law  can  make 
it  obligatory  upon  him.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  com- 
mandments of  the  decalogue  are  urged  upon  us,  we  at 
once  recognize  their  authority,  because  we  know  them  to 
be  given  of  God,  and  we  would  not  be  Christians  if  we  did 
not  at  once  acknowledge  our  duty  to  obey.  But  that  is 
not  fasting.  The  exercise  of  fasting  is  always  wrong, 
when  engaged  in  with  the  thought  that  we  are  thus  fulfill- 
ing the  divine  law  and  doing  a  holy  work,  because  it  al- 
ways lies  in  the  sphere  of  liberty. 

Nor  is  fasting  to  be  regarded  as  a  means  of  grace  un- 
der the  Gospel,  so  that  it  would  be  obligatory  upon  Chris- 
tians because  of  a  power  exerted  through  it  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  Scriptures  teach  nothing  about  such  an 
operation  of  God  upon  the  soul  in  virtue  of  man's  ab- 
stinence. Fasting  is  man-s  act,  not  God's.  It  is  an  ex- 
ercise for  the  subduing  of  the  flesh  and  the  curbing  of 
sin,  not  for  the  stimulation  of  spiritual  power.  It  is  a 
means  of  disciplining  our  sinful  nature,  not  of  strength- 
ening the  new  man  which  the  Holy  Spirit  has  created  in 
the  believing  heart,  and  which  He  alone  sustains  and  in- 
vigorates by  the  Word  and  Sacraments  as  His  ordained 
means  of  grace.  It  should  not  be  doubted  that  fasting 
is  a  valuable  auxiliary  in  promoting  Christian  holiness. 
But  this  is  not  because  it  furnishes  new  power  or  even 
motives  to  this  end.  As  a  human  act  it  cannot  supply 
divine  gifts  and  minister  divine  influences.  The  help 
which  it  afi'ords  is  of  a  negative  sort.  It  curbs  the  mo- 
tions of  sin,  that  the  work  of  grace  may  be  less  obstruct- 
ed, as  the  removal  of  weeds  gives  the  grain  better  oppor- 
tunity to  grow,  though  it  furnishes  no  new  life  and  vigor. 
Fasting  is  a  personal  act,  performed  and  designed  for 
self  discipline  to  weed  out  the  morbid  growths  of  our 
sinful  nature:  tlie  growth  in  holiness  is  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  through  tlie  means  of  grace,  without  which 

14 


210  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

fasting  avails  nothing,  and  trusting  in  it  as  a  good  work 
is  a  dangerous  delusion. 

Hence  all  thoughts  of  merit  attaching  to  it,  as  they 
are  inculcated  and  practiced  under  the  papacy,  must  be 
banished  from  our  minds,  with  other  superstitions  in 
vogue  among  the  adherents  of  Rome  in  regard  to  which 
the  Gospel  restored  to  us  by  the  Reformation  has  given 
us  light.  There  is  no  merit  in  sinful  man.  Not  even  his 
best  works,  though  done  by -the  power  of  grace,  can  be 
meritorious  before  God.  For  this  conviction  there  are 
two  reasons  drawn  from  the  Scriptures.  One  is  the  de- 
merit of  the  sinner,  the  other  is  the  merit  of  the  Savior. 

All  that  man  deserves  now,  since  by  sin  he  has  turned 
away  from  God  and  become  a  rebel  against  Him  and  His 
righteous  rule,  is  the  punishment  which  his  Maker  has 
pronounced  upon  him.  Before  Him  all  claim  of  merit  is 
absurd.  He  merits  the  death  to  which  he  is  doomed. 
The  favor  of  his  offended  God,  the  life  that  he  has  for- 
feited, the  blessedness  of  heaven  which  he  has  lost,  he 
cannot  merit.  What  he  may  do  to  avert  the  wrath  to 
come  can  only  increase  his  guilt,  because  it  is  all  soiled 
by  the  sin  of  his  soul.  He  can  do  nothing  to  please 
God  in  his  state  of  rebellion.  "As  it  is  written.  There  is 
none  righteous,  no,  not  one;  there  is  none  that  under- 
standeth,  there  is  none  that  seeketh  after  God.  They 
are  all  gone  out  of  the  w^ay,  they  are  together  become 
unprofitable:  there  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one." 
Rom.  3,  10-12.  What  sense  can  there  be  then  in  harbor- 
ing the  proud  thought  that  human  merit  is  possible  and 
that  by  strenuous  effort  on  our  part  a  claim  may  be  es- 
tablished against  God?  Even  if  we  did  a  thousandfold 
more  of  good,  seeming  and  real,  than  it  is  possible  for 
man  in  his  best  estate  on  earth  to  do,  no  rational  ground 
for  a  claim  of  merit  could  be  devised.  "When  ye  shall 
have  done  all  those  things  which  are  commanded  you, 
say.  We  are  unprofitable  servants:  we  have  done  that 


THE   PHARISAIC   FASTING.  211 

which  was  our  duty  to  do."  Luke  17,  10.  To  many 
people  the  saying  has  a  harsh  sound,  but  the  words  are 
spoken  in  tender  compassion.  We  cannot  fulfill  the  law; 
**for  if  there  had  been  a  law  given  which  could  have  given 
life,  verily  righteousness  should  have  been  by  the  law: 
but  the  Scripture  hath  concluded  all  under  sin,  that  the 
promise  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  might  be  given  to  them 
that  believe."  Gal.  3,  21.  22.  But  even  if  by  the  Holy 
Spirit's  power  one  were  made  perfect  in  holiness,  so  that 
he  did  all  that  is  commanded,  he  would  merit  no  re- 
ward. He  would  then  have  done  that  which  it  was  his 
duty  to  do;  that  is,  he  would  have  paid  the  debt  that  he 
owes.  But  does  any  reasonable  person  think  that  when 
he  pays  his  debts  he  establishes  a  claim  against  the  per- 
son paid?  In  view  of  man's  sinfulness  and  disability,  the 
whole  theory  of  merit  before  God  is  preposterous. 

But  there  is  another  reason  why  Christians  should 
refuse  to  entertain  any  thoughts  of  claiming  rewards  of 
God  for  meritorious  works.  The  Son  of  God  was  made 
flesh  and  dwelt  among  us,  that  He  might  fulfill  all  right- 
eousness in  our  stead.  He  satisfied  all  the  demands  of 
the  law  as  our  Substitute,  that  His  merit  might  be  im- 
puted to  us  and  we  sinners  thus  stand  justified  before 
God.  He  not  only  lived  a  holy  life,  entirely  without  sin, 
as  the  commandments  of  God  require  of  man,  but  suf- 
fered the  penalty  of  all  men's  transgression  by  His  death 
upon  the  cross  for  our  salvation.  His  hoh'  life  and  bitter 
sufferings  and  death  fulfilled  all  righteousness  for  us. 
This  constitutes  the  merits  of  Christ,  through  which,  by 
His  grace  through  faith,  we  escape  the  damnation  of 
hell  and  inherit  the  glory  of  heaven.  The  damnation  we 
have  deserved  by  our  sin,  but  Christ  bore  it  for  us;  the 
glory  we  have  not  deserved,  but  Christ  acquired  it  for  us. 
These  merits  of  our  Savior  are  now  offered  us  in  the 
Gospel,  offered  us  freely,  without  money  and  without 
price,  and  nothing  is  asked  of  us  but  that  we  believe  the 


212  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

good  tidings,  and  thus  by  faith  accept  the  salvation. 
And  now  come  the  Komanists  and  otlier  ungrateful  er- 
rorists  and  tell  the  people  that  they  must  have  a  merit  of 
their  own  in  order  to  be  saved,  thus  refusing  to  accept 
the  sufficiency  of  Christ's  merit,  denying  Him  the  honor 
which  belongs  to  Him  alone,  and  arrogating  it  to  them- 
selves and  depriving  themselves  of  the  comfort  which 
only  faith  in  His  merits  can  secure.  The  foolish  fancy 
of  creature  merit  undermines  the  assurance  of  the  sin- 
ner's justification  by  faith,  whether  designed  or  not,  and 
tends  to  destroy  the  foundation  of  Christianity  by  ob- 
scuring the  Savior's  merit. 

Fasting  has  no  merit,  and  can  have  none.  Better 
reject  it  entirely  than  accept  it  in  disparagement  of 
Christ's  merit,  and  thus  make  a  free  practice  an  instru- 
ment of  evil.  But  our  Lord  did  not  forbid  it,  and  if  we 
are  willing  to  learn  of  Him,  the  Pharisaic  evil  may  be 
eliminated  and  the  exercise  be  profitable.  The  hypo- 
crites found  merit  in  it  and  desired  the  glory  of  it. 
"Hence  they  desired  to  be  seen  of  men  to  fast."  It  is  this 
that  our  Lord  rebukes,  and  it  is  against  this  he  warns 
them  and  us  and  all  people.  They  sought  their  own 
glory,  while  their  duty  and  that  of  all  men  is  to  glorify 
God.  Self-seeking  is  the  fundamental  principle  of  our 
fallen  nature  that  vitiates  everything,  because  it  re- 
moves God  and  all  holiness,  of  which  He  alone  is  the 
fountain.  Men  may  fast  if  they  choose,  and  may  profit 
by  it  if  their  fasting  be  in  penitential  meekness.  "But 
when  ye  fast,  be  not  as  the  hypocrites  of  a  sad  counte- 
nance; for  they  disfigure  their  faces,  that  they  may  ap- 
pear unto  men  to  fast."  They  thus  may  get  some  human 
applause,  but  that  is  all  the  reward  they  have.  With 
those  who  seek  the  glory  of  God  it  is  enough  that  He  sees 
their  efforts  to  live  righteously  and  godly  alid  soberly  in 
this  present  world;   and  He  who  seeth  in  secret  shall,  in 


THE    PHARISAIC    FASTING.  213 

the  abundance  of  His  grace,  without  any  merit  or  any- 
thing of  theirs,  reward  them  openly. 

Too  much  stress  can  not  be  laid  upon  the  fact  that 
fasting  always  pertains  to  objects  and  conduct  that  are 
not  determined  by  divine  law.  They  are  matters  of  lib- 
erty, which  are  accordingly  subject  to  human  choice. 
Even  whim  the  word  is  used  in  the  widest  sense  as  in- 
cluding the  mortification  of  the  flesh,  it  is  not  the  re- 
nunciation of  sin  and  refraining  from  actual  sins  that 
is  contemplated,  but  such  acts  as,  though  not  forbidden, 
are  judged  to  be  injurious  in  their  tendency,  whether  by 
suggestion,  association,  habit  or  otherwise.  When  sins 
are  had  in  view,  fasting  is  not  the  correct  word  to  desig- 
nate our  abstinence.  To  refrain  from  cursing  and  swear- 
ing, from  lying  and  stealing,  is  not  properly  fasting. 
This  is  abstaining  from  something  that  could  not  be 
done  without  sin.  Eating  and  drinking  are  not  regu- 
lated by  divine  commandments.  Our  own  judgment 
must  decide  what  and  when  and  how  much  we  shall 
eat  or  drink,  and  when  we  have  settled  habits  in  this 
regard  we  may  depart  from  the  rule  on  certain  occa- 
sions for  our  own  benefit;  as  when  we  deny  ourselves 
some  regular  meals,  or  the  eating  of  meat  or  the  drinking 
of  coffee.  If  we  think  this  desirable,  there  is  nothing  to 
prevent  the  execution  of  our  thought.  We  fast.  No  one 
has  a  right  to  forbid  it.  But  neither  has  any  one  a  right 
to  lay  it  as  a  law  upon  our  consciences.  We  can  do  as 
we  please  about  it.  When  Eome  imposes  such  fasts  up- 
on the  people  and  teaches  them  that  this  is  a  good  work 
of  Christian  obedience  which  God  will  reward,  she 
tyrannizes  our  consciences  and  deceives  them,  commit- 
ting the  grave  sin  of  making  additions  to  God's  Word 
and  teaching  for  doctrine  the  commandments  of  men, 
and  at  the  same  time  misleading  her  members  by  instill- 
ing hopes  which  can  never  be  realized.     The  law  of  fast- 


214  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

ing,  which  is  a  good  external  discipline  to  be  used  by 
Christians  in  the  exercise  of  their  liberty  when  they  see 
reason  for  it,  becomes  an  abomination  when  thus  im- 
posed as  a  duty;  and  such  law,  imposed  without  right 
and  obeyed  without  reason,  cannot  fail  to  result  in  the 
vainglorious  fasting  which  Christ  rebukes  as  Pharisaic 
delusion. 


SECTION  X, 

The  Abiding  Treasures, 

(  Matthew  6,  19  23.) 

♦JF  N  all  their  service  the  disciples  of  Christ  are  taught 
n  to  be  sincere,  avoiding  all  hypocrisy  and  theat- 
rical displays  of  righteousness.  But  it  must  be  a 
sincere  service  of  God,  according  to  His  Word  and  with 
undivided  hearts.  "Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy 
God,  and  Him  only  shalt  thou  serve."  This  our  Lord 
teaches  in  the  next  section  of  the  sermon,  which  may  be 
taken  as  an  exposition  of  the  first  commandment,  that  we 
shall  have  no  other  God  above  Him  who  has  revealed 
Himself  to  us  as  the  Almighty  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth 
and  the  gracious  Savior  of  the  sinful  world :  that  we 
should  fear,  love,  and  trust  in  Him  above  all  things.  With 
Him  we  are  to  lay  up  our  treasures.  By  the  light  of  His 
Word  we  are  to  discriminate  between  the  heavenly  and 
the  earthly.  The  service  of  two  masters  of  different  aims 
is  impossible :  serve  the  Lord  alone.  Our  activity  in  such 
service  with  undivided  hearts  will  always  be  directed  to 
His  glory  and  result  in  spiritual  riches. 

"Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  earth, 
where  moth  and  rust  doth  corrupt  and  where  thieves 
break  through  and  steal;  but  lay  up  for  yourselves  treas- 
ures in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor  rust  doth  cor- 
rupt and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor  steiil ; 
for  where  your  treasure  is  there  will  your  heart  be  also." 
Christ  desires  us  to  give  Him  our  heart;  that  is  essential 
to  life  in  His  kingdom.  But  when  this  is  done,  our  alTec- 
tions  cannot  be  fixed  upon  the  things  of  earth,  which  do 
not  abide  and  cannot  satisfy  the  wants  of  our  immortal 
souls.     Even    if    they    contained    all    that    our    souls    at 

215 


216  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

present  need,  which  they  do  not,  they  do  not  last,  and 
therefore  fail  to  still  the  longings  of  immortal  souls. 
^'Love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the 
world.  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father 
is  not  in  him.  For  all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of 
the  tiesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  i)ride  of  life, 
is  not  of  the  Father,  hut  is  of  the  world.  And  the  world 
passeth  away  and  the  lust  thereof,  but  he  that  doeth  the 
will  of  God  abideth  for  ever."  1  John  2,  15-17.  The  soul 
was  made  for  God  and  can  find  happiness  only  in  Him, 
to  whom  it  is  the  purpose  of  our  Savior  to  lead  us,  that 
v.o  may  have  eternal  blessedness,  undisturbed  by  the 
passing  away  of  this  earthly  sphere,  where  we  have  our 
temporary  abode. 

It  is  therefore  manifest  folly  to  lay  up  for  ourselves 
treasures  on  earth,  where  lasting  possessions  are  impos- 
sible. The  soul  abides  when  this  world  has  passed  away, 
and  the  riches  and  honors  and  pleasures  which  it  offered 
have  passed  awa}^  with  it.  Hence  the  repeated  admoni- 
tions of  the  Scriptures  not  to  seek  these  transient  things 
and  to  be  misled  by  the  allurements  which  they  present 
to  our  sinful  flesh.  And  v>e  have  great  need  of  such 
warning,  because  sin  has  blinded  us  to  the  eternal  re- 
alities and  made  us  subject  to  the  fascinations  of  tem- 
poral vanities.  Even  Christians,  who  are  no  longer  in 
the  bonds  of  iniquity,  but  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  the  glory 
of  God,  have  need  of  them,  because  in  them,  too,  the 
flesh  still  struggles  for  the  mastery  over  the  gifts  of  the 
spirit.  When  the  good  seed  is  sown  among  men,  some 
fall  by  the  wayside,  some  on  the  rock,  some  among 
thorns,  and  some  on  good  ground.  "Tliat  which  fell 
among  thorns  are  they  which,  when  they  have  heard,  go 
forth  and  are  choked  with  cares  and  riches  and  pleasures 
of  this  life,  and  bring  no  fruit  to  perfection.''  Luke  8,  14. 
The  gold  and  silver  of  the  world  present  a  powerful  temp- 
tation, and  many  a  soul  is  lost  by  overestimating  and 


THE   ABIDING   TREASURES.  217 

craving  such  earthly  possessions.  The  foolish  thought 
is  entertained  that  wealth  provides  against  cares,  secures 
honors  and  pleasures,  and  insures  happiness  and  content- 
ment which  are  not  otherwise  obtainable.  But  riches 
are  themselves  not  secure  where  moth  and  rust  corrupt 
and  where  thieves  break  through  and  steal.  And  that  is 
not  the  worst  of  the  fatuous  greed  for  great  earthly  pos- 
sessions. "They  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation 
and  a  snare,  and  into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts, 
which  drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition.  For  the 
love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil,  which  while  some  cov- 
eted after  they  have  erred  from  the  faith  and  pierced 
themselves  through  with  many  sorrows.  But  thou,  O 
man  of  God,  flee  tliese  things,  and  follow  after  righteous- 
ness, godliness,  faith,  love,  patience,  meekness."  1  Tim. 
6,  9-11.  Following  the  wisdom  of  this  world,  which  dis- 
dains the  wisdom  that  cometh  down  from  above,  is  mani- 
fest in  nothing  more  than  in  this  stupid  laying  up  of 
treasures  on  earth  to  the  neglect  of  the  abiding  treasures 
in  heaven.  In  one  of  Christ's  parables  a  certain  rich 
man  who  was  greatly  prospered,  in  the  pride  of  his  heart 
says :  "I  will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods 
laid  up  for  many  years;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and 
be  merry.  But  God  said  unto  him,  Thou  fool,  this  night 
thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee;  then  whose  shall  those 
things  be  which  thou  hast  provided?"  Luke  12,  19.  20. 
Truly  a  very  fool  is  he  who  makes  the  things  that  perish 
his  confidence  and  hope:  for  he  must  at  last  perish  with 
them. 

Christ  teaches  us  heavenly  wisdom  when  He  urges 
us  to  lay  up  for  ourselves  treasures  in  heaven,  where 
things  do  not  decay  and  men  do  not  steal.  These 
treasures  are  the  imperishable  things  which  God  has 
promised  to  His  people  in  His  kingdom  of  glory,  if  they 
remain  faithful  until  death  in  His  kingdom  of  grace. 
That  means  that  they   embrace  these  promises  through 


218  THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

faith  in  tlie  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  serving  God  on  earth 
they  are  sure  of  enjoying  the  blessedness  secured  for  us 
in  heaven.  That  is  unspeakably  glorious  and  great;  for 
"eye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man  the  things  which  He  hath  prepared 
for  them  that  love  Him."  Glorious  things  are  revealed 
to  us  of  the  great  salvation  offered  us  in  Christ,  and 
glorious  things  are  given  us  in  the  promises  of  our  Lord, 
who  has  gone  to  prepare  a-  place  for  us,  that  where  He 
is  there  we  may  be  also.  But  the  realization  of  it  all, 
now  and  here,  is  beyond  our  earthly  capacity  even  in 
hope.  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death  and  I  will  give  thee 
a  crown  of  life."  Rev.  2,  10.  And  as  our  names  are  writ- 
ten in  heaven,  where  our  eternal  inheritance  is  as  chil- 
dren of  God,  and  our  Father  has  promised  by  grace  to 
reward  every  good  deed  done  in  our  Savior's  name,  we 
can  lay  up  treasures  day  by  day  in  our  heavenly  home, 
where  our  heart  is  because  our  treasure  is  there.  Thus 
"our  conversation  is  in  heaven,  from  whence  also  we  look 
for  the  Savior,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Phil.  3,  20. 

We  are  not  induced  to  regard  the  earthly  gifts  which 
God's  bounty  bestows  as  undesirable  and  worthless.  The 
lesson  taught  is  not  that  they  should  be  avoided  and  we 
should  learn  to  despise  them.  There  is  no  indication  that 
the  text  is  designed  to  convey  such  a  thought,  which  is 
the  offspring  of  minds  prone  to  fly  to  the  opposite  ex- 
treme when  errors  are  warned  against.  To  say  that  a 
coin  is  not  gold  is  not  saying  that  it  has  no  value.  Only 
if  the  attempt  were  made  to  pass  it  off  for  gold  would 
it  be  pronounced  worthless,  because  spurious.  All  tem- 
poral things  have  their  temporal  use  and  value.  "For 
every  creature  of  God  is  good,  and  nothing  to  be  refused, 
if  it  be  received  with  thanksgiving.  For  it  is  sanctified 
by  the  Word  of  God  and  prayer."  1  Tim.  4,-  4  .  5.  During 
our  earthly  life  we  need  earthly  things,  and  the  good 
providence  of  God  supplies  them  according  to  our  needs. 


THE   ABIDING   TREASURES.  219 

"The  eyes  of  all  wait  upon  Thee,  and  Thou  givest  them 
their  meat  in  due  season.  Thou  openest  Thine  hand,  and 
satistiest  the  desire  of  every  living  thing."  Ps.  145,  15  .  16. 
Despising  the  gifts  pertaining  to  our  bodies  and  external 
relations  is  no  evidence  of  true  spirituality.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  comes  of  a  lack  of  appreciation  of  our  Heavenly 
Father's  goodness  as  manifested  in  the  blessings  daily 
showered  upon  us  for  our  earthly  support  and  comfort. 
We  are  taught  to  pray  for  our  daily  bread  and  not  to  for- 
get the  thanksgiving  which  we  owe  to  God  for  its  be- 
stowal. What  Christ  would  have  us  recognize  and  prop- 
erly appreciate  is  the  difference  between  the  temporal 
and  the  eternal,  and  the  corresponding  worth  of  each. 
To  care  for  money  and  goods,  honors  and  pleasures,  to 
the  neglect  of  the  treasures  that  are  everlasting,  is  the 
folly  from  which  our  Lord  would  deliver  His  disciples. 
Temporal  things  have  temporal  worth,  but  they  are  not 
rightly  appreciated  when  they  are  placed  on  a  level  with 
the  things  that  are  eternal  or  made  a  substitute  for  them. 
Let  us  give  earnest  heed  to  the  important  lesson,  that 
where  our  treasure  is,  there  will  our  heart  be  also.  What 
in  our  eyes  has  the  greatest  value  absorbs  our  thought. 
And  our  souls  acquire  the  character  of  the  things  which 
are  most  precious  to  us.  We  become  more  worldly  minded 
the  more  the  things  of  the  world  are  prized.  If  a  man 
occupies  himself  with  money-making  as  the  chief  object 
of  his  endeavors,  he  will  become  groveling  and  mercenary 
in  his  motives,  and  his  heart  will  become  cold  and  hard 
as  the  gold  to  which  he  clings.  If  he  pursues  the  pleas- 
ures derived  from  the  gratification  of  his  sensual  appe- 
tites, he  becomes  increasingly  brutish  by  his  choice  of  a 
merely  animal  life,  which  gives  no  scope  to  the  exercise 
of  those  higher  powers  which  distinguish  the  creature 
made  in  the  image  of  God.  All  experience  shows  that 
the  heart  loses  all  loftiness  of  purpose  and  nobility  of 
aspiration  when  it  habitually  delves  in  the  dirt  of  earth 


220  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

and  wallows  in  the  mire  of  lust.  The  idolatry  which 
makes  a  god  of  the  temporal  things  given  us  to  be  used 
in  the  service  of  our  heavenly  calling  and  thus  to  be 
under  our  control  instead  of  making  us  their  slaves,  un- 
fits us  for  the  gathering  of  any  treasures  in  heaven  where 
God  reigns  and  where  they  may  be  our  joy  for  ever.  There- 
fore "if  riches  increase,  set  not  your  heart  upon  them." 
Ps.  62,  10.  God  may  give  them  to  us,  and  as  His  gift 
they  are  designed  to  serve  a  good  purpose.  But  they  are 
temporal  and  pass  away,  and  if  we  have  put  our  trust 
in  them  we  are  forsaken  when  they  depart.  Lay  up  for 
yourselves  treasures  in  heaven.  Then  your  hearts  will 
be  there;  occupying  your  thoughts  with  them  will  make 
you  heavenly  minded;  and  when  your  earthly  journey 
is  ended  you,  too,  will  be  there  and  enjoy  your  ever- 
lasting treasure. 

To  discern  this  blessed  treasure  we  need  a  spiritual 
eye  which  sees  what  the  natural  eye  cannot  see.  "The 
light  of  the  body  is  the  eye;  if  therefore  thine  eye  be 
single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  light.  But  if  thine 
eye  be  evil  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  darkness.  If 
therefore  the  light  that  is  in  thee  be  darkness,  how  great 
is  that  darkness!"  The  different  organs  of  the  body  have 
each  its  special  office.  The  one  cannot  perform  the  func- 
tions of  the  other,  and  each  serves  the  whole  body  in  do- 
ing its  appropriate  work.  All  the  light  we  have  is  fur- 
nished by  the  eye.  If  that  fails,  no  other  organ  can  sup- 
ply the  defect;  and  however  powerful  and  active  the 
other  organs  may  be,  we  remain  in  complete  darkness. 
The  blind  man  has  no  light;  but  if  the  eye  is  sound  and 
properly  used,  the  whole  body  is  full  of  light 

In  spiritual  things  there  is  a  light  needed  which  na- 
ture does  not  supply.  The  eye  of  the  soul  in  that  respect 
is  evil.  By  nature  men  "walk  in  the  vanity  of  their 
minds,  having  the  understanding  darkened,  being  alien- 
ated from  the  life  of  God  by  the  ignorance  that  is  in 


THE   ABIDING   TREASURES.  221 

them,  because  of  the  blindness  of  their  heart."  Eph.  4, 
17.  18.  In  consequence  even  the  religious  light  which 
may  be  derived  from  the  works  of  God  is  perverted,  and 
the  Gentiles  "changed  the  truth  of  God  into  a  lie,  and 
worshipped  and  served  the  creature  more  than  the  Cre- 
ator." l\om.  1,  25.  The  help  for  this  natural  evil  is 
found  only  in  the  Gospel  which  the  Savior  brought  us 
aud  which  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  all  them 
that  believe.  Therefore  the  apostle  prays  "that  the  God 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  glory,  may  give 
unto  you  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation  in  the 
knowledge  of  Him,  the  eyes  of  your  understanding  being 
enlightened;  that  ye  may  know  Avhat  is  the  hope  of  His 
calling  and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  Ilis  inherit- 
ance in  the  saints,  and  what  is  the  exceeding  greatness 
of  His  power  to  usward  who  believe."  Eph.  1,  17-19. 
This  natural  blindness  is  not  healed  at  once,  though  the 
Holy  Spirit  restores  our  sight  and  gives  us  the  light  by 
His  Word  which  shines  in  the  dark  places.  Even  Chris- 
tians have  eyes  that  are  not  single  and  need  purging, 
some  of  them  so  far  neglectful  of  the  Word  given  them  by 
revelation  and  the  Holy  Spirit's  counsel  and  warning  that 
they  are  in  daily  peril  of  stumbling  and  falling  into  the 
pit  whence  they  had  been  delivered.  Thus  the  Spirit 
writes  to  the  angel  of  the  Church  of  the  Laodiceans:  "I 
know  thy  works  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot:  I 
would  tlmu  wert  cold  or  hot.  So  then,  because  thou  art 
lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spue  thee  out 
of  my  mouth.  Because  thou  sayest,  I  am  rich  and  in- 
creased with  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing,  and  know- 
est  not  that  thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor, 
and  blind  and  naked,  I  counsel  thee  to  buy  of  me  gold 
tried  in  the  fire,  that  thou  mayest  be  rich,  and  white 
raiment,  that  thou  mayest  be  clothed  and  the  shame  of 
thy  nakedness  do  not  appear,  and  anoint  thine  eyes  with 
eyesalve,  that  thou  mayest  see."    Rev.  3,  15-18.     But  too 


222  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

many  of  those  who  profess  to  be  Christ's  disciples  have 
not  an  eye  single  to  His  glory,  and  still  flatter  themselves 
that  all  is  well  with  them  as  long  as  they  remain  mem- 
bers of  good  standing  in  the  Christian  congregation. 
Their  danger  is  the  greater  because  they  see  not  the 
peril  of  neglecting  the  Word,  which  alone  gives  us  the 
light  of  salvation,  and  of  trusting  in  the  light  which 
nature  is  supposed  to 'give,  but  which  does  not  prevent 
them  from  seeing  double  and  thus  perverting  the  heaven- 
ly truth,  and  does  not  guard  them  against  the  double- 
dealing  to  which  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  incline. 

The  eye  is  single  wiien  God  alone  is  seen  as  the  high- 
est good  and  His  Word  alone  is  accepted  as  our  guide  in 
things  pertaining  to  the  soul's  life.  "Thou  shalt  guide 
me  with  Thy  counsel,  and  afterward  receive  me  to  glory. 
Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  Thee?  and  there  is  none 
upon  earth  that  I  desire  beside  Thee.  My  flesh  and  my 
heart  faileth,  but  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart  and  my 
portion  for  ever."  Ps.  73,  24-26.  And  if  we  would  abide 
with  Him  and  enjoy  Him  as  our  everlasting  treasure, 
we  must  continue  in  His  Word,  by  which  He  manifests 
His  gracious  presence  and  blesses  us.  "Deal  bountifully 
with  Thy  servant,  that  I  may  live  and  keep  Thy  Word. 
Open  Thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold  wondrous  things 
out  of  Thy  law."  Ps.  119,  17.  18.  Against  this  the  flesh 
relucts,  which  would  have  us  look  towards  carnal  grati- 
fications and  see  the  fleshpots  of  Egypt  as  well  as  the 
beauty  of  holiness,  and  squint  at  both.  The  lust  of  the 
eyes  will  not  cease  to  trouble  Christians  while  they  live 
in  this  world  that  lieth  in  wickedness.  But  the  flesh 
must  be  crucified,  not  gratified.  "I  keep  under  my  body 
and  bring  it  into  subjection,  lest  by  any  means,  when  I 
have  preached  to  others,  I  myself  should  be  a  castaway." 
1  Cor.  9,  27.  If  by  the  grace  of  our  blessed  Savior  we  are 
resolved  to  walk  with  God,  He  is  faithful  who  has  prom- 
ised to  sustain  us  and  give  us  the  victory.     "If  we  say 


THE   ABIDING   TREASURES.  223 

that  we  have  fellowship  with  Him,  and  walk  in  darkness, 
we  lie,  and  do  not  the  truth;  but  if  we  walk  in  the  light, 
as  He  is  in  the  light,  we  have  fellowship  with  one  an- 
other, and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  His  Son,  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin."    1  John  1,  6.7. 

Those  who  lay  up  for  themselves  treasures  on  earth 
instead  of  seeking  the  treasures  which  endure  when  the 
earth  shall  have  passed  away,  thus  make  manifest  that 
their  sight  is  impaired.  Their  eye  is  not  single,  else  they 
would  see  the  eternal  treasure  and  be  able  to  discern  it  as 
of  the  highest  worth,  whilst  their  choice  of  the  temporal 
instead,  betrays  their  incapacity  to  see  what  is  best. 
Either  they  do  not  see  the  everlasting  good  at  all,  thus 
showing  their  spiritual  blindness;  or,  if  they  by  grace  have 
received  some  enlightenment  which  by  nature  thej^  cannot 
possess,  they  fail  to  make  the  proper  use  of  it  and  con- 
sequently see  double,  the  transitory  things  of  this  life  be- 
ing made  to  seem  eternal  treasures.  It  thus  comes  to 
pass  that  things  of  no  permanent  value  are  eagerly  gath- 
ered, as  children  gather  shards  and  pebbles,  in  the  de- 
lusive belief  that  they  are  treasures  of  abiding  value.  The 
delusion  would  be  apparent  if  men  could  see  clearly. 
But  when  they  have  no  spiritual  eye,  or  its  vision  is  im- 
paired by  the  unresisted  influence  of  the  sin  which  ever 
tends  to  blind  us,  it  is  not  strange  that  the  evidence 
presented  to  convince  rational  creatures  of  their  folly, 
fails  to  direct  their  steps  into  the  paths  of  wisdom.  The 
garments  which  they  prize  so  highly  become  moth-eaten; 
the  medals  which  are  their  pride  are  spoiled  by  the  rust 
that  corrodes  them ;  the  money  which  they  have  laid  up 
as  their  hearts'  delight  becomes  the  prey  of  thieves  who 
break  through  and  steal;  and  still  the  foolish  soul  es- 
teems them  as  precious  treasures  that  furnish  present 
pleasure  and  secure  future  happiness. 

"If  therefore  the  light  that  is  in  thee  be  darkness, 
how  great  is  that  darkness!"     The  light  of  God's  grace 


224  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

is  still  shining  upon  us  through  the  Gospel:  blessed  are 
they  that  hear  the  Word  of  God  and  keep  it.  "Jesus 
said  unto  them,  Take  heed  and  beware  of  covetousness: 
for  a  man's  life  eonsisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the 
things  which  he  possesseth.  And  He  spake  a  parable 
unto  them,  saying,  The  ground  of  a  certain  rich  man 
brought  forth  j)lentifully;  and  he  thought  within  himself, 
saying.  What  shall  I  do,  because  I  have  no  room  where 
to  bestow  my  fruits?  And  he  said.  This  will  I  do:  I 
will  pull  down  my  barns  and  build  greater,  and  there 
will  I  bestow  my  fruits  and  my  goods.  And  I  will  say 
to  my  soul.  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many 
years;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink  and  be  merry.  But  God 
said  unto  him.  Thou  fool,  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  re- 
quired of  thee:  then  whose  shall  those  things  be  which 
thou  hast  provided?  So  is  he  that  layeth  up  treasure 
for  himself  and  is  not  rich  toward  God."  Luke  12,  15-21. 


SECTION  XL 

The  Life  of  Trust. 
( Matthew  6,  24-34.) 

©UR  Lord  further  illustrates  and  impresses  the  neces- 
sity of  laying  up  treasures  in  heaven  by  showing 
that,  if  we  are  sincere  in  our  devotion  to  God,  He 
alone  must  reign  in  our  hearts  and  Him  only  must  we 
serve,  everything  must  be  subordinated  to  His  will  and 
all  be  for  His  glory.  "No  man  can  serve  two  masters; 
for  either  he  will  hate  the  one  and  love  the  other,  or  else 
he  will  hold  to  the  one  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  can  not 
serve  God  and  mammon."  We  may  be  subject  to  a  mas- 
ter who  gives  his  orders  through  a  subordinate,  and  one 
who  is  faithful  will  render  his  service  as  cheerfully  when 
a  requirement  is  made  by  the  agent  as  wlien  made  di- 
rectly by  the  master,  provided  he  is  sure  that  the  Master 
orders  it.  This  is  sometimes  erroneously  regarded  as 
serving  two  masters.  But  only  one  is  the  master,  and 
only  one  possesses  authority  to  command.  If  the  agent 
cannot  show  that  the  requirement  made  of  us  is  that  of 
the  master,  he  cannot  claim  obedience.  God  never  dele- 
gates His  supremacy  to  a  creature,  requiring  subjection 
to  such  a  substitute  as  absolutely  as  to  Himself.  Neither 
in  Church  nor  State  has  He  placed  rulers  over  us  whom 
we  are  bound  to  obey  without  appeal  to  Him  who  alone 
is  Lord  of  all.  Not  even  in  the  case  of  ministers  of  the 
Gospel,  who  are  said  to  rule  over  us  and  whom  we  are 
required  to  obey,  can  we  serve  two  masters,  one  being 
the  Lord,  the  other  being  His  minister.  God  alone  rules 
over  us,  and  He  does  this  by  His  Word,  to  which  all,  min- 
isters and  hearers,  are  alike  bound.  Our  obedience  in 
the  Church  is  due  to  that  Word,  not  to  the  minister  who 

15  225 


226  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

preaches,  whether  he  preaches  the  Word  or  not.  We  are 
not  bound  absolutely  to  obey  any  man,  though  he  jjroudly 
call  himself  God's  vicegerent  on  earth,  unless  he  can  show 
that  what  He  demands  of  us  is  written  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures and  is  therefore  demanded  b}^  the  authority  of  Him 
who  alone  is  Monarch  in  the  universe.  As  regards  the 
civil  government  to  which,  as  the  "powers  that  be,"  we 
must  needs  be  subject  because  they  are  ordained  of  God, 
the  matter  is  equally  plain.  The  State  has  no  authority 
whatever  in  the  spiritual  tilings  which  are  committed  to 
the  Church,  but  deals  only  with  temporal  atfairs,  that 
the  people  may  be  protected  in  their  common  rights  and 
in  their  legitimate  pursuits,  and  lead  quiet  and  peaceable 
lives.  If  any  "powers  that  be"  should  become  arrogant 
and  attempt  to  usurp  authority  over  our  consciences,  and 
thus  set  themselves  up  as  masters  other  than  God,  by 
whose  ordinance  and  for  whose  purposes  they  have  been 
made  rulers,  the  Scriptures  make  our  duty  clear  by  telling 
us  that  "we  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  men."  Acts 
5,  29.  We  can  not  serve  two  masters  claiming  equal  au- 
thority. Least  of  all  can  we  serve  two  masters  in  every 
way  so  diverse  and  morally  so  contrary  as  God  and  mam- 
mon. 

But  absurd  as  the  thought  is,  there  are  many  who 
live  as  if  they  deemed  it  practicable.  Very  likely  they 
would,  if  they  considered  it  with  due  care  as  an  abstract 
question,  pronounce  it  impossible.  But  God's  complaint 
has  been  of  old,  "My  people  doth  not  consider."  And 
when  some  effort  is  made  in  this  direction,  there  are  dif- 
ficulties in  the  way  of  reaching  a  correct  conclusion.  The 
flesh  is  against  it,  and  unrighteousness  is  deceivable;  the 
world  is  against  it,  and  millions  are  deluded  by  the  wick- 
edness in  v.diich  it  lies  and  which  governs  its  customs  and 
fashions;  and  the  devil  is  of  course  againfet  it,  and  mar- 
shals all  his  hosts  of  lies  for  the  maintenance  of  his 
kingdom  of  darkness  and  the  enslavement  of  men  under 


THE   LIFE   OF   TRUST.  227 

the  bondage  of  sin.  The  Holy  Spirit  exhorts  us:  "Mor- 
tify therefore  your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth, 
fornication,  uncleanness,  inordinate  affection,  evil  concu- 
piscence, and  covetousness,  which  is  idolatry;  for  which 
things'  sake  the  wrath  of  God  cometh  on  the  children  of 
disobedience."  Col.  3,  5.6.  Natural  reason  suggests  that 
if  God  is  good  He  will  surely  not  be  so  severe  in  judging 
what  is  manifestly  the  craving  of  our  nature,  and  prob- 
ably means  only  to  warn  us  against  those  outbreaks  of 
ungoverned  passion  which  all  the  world  pronounces 
shameful,  which  injure  the  subject's  health  as  well  as  his 
standing  in  the  community,  and  which  may  eventually 
lead  to  the  renunciation  of  all  moral  restraints  and  ren- 
der him  a  castaway.  In  confirmation  of  this  suggestion 
it  is  presumed  that  the  condemnation  of  covetousness  as 
idolatry  is  an  exaggeration.  The  eye  of  such  critics  is 
not  single,  and  squints  in  different  directions,  and  the 
€yesalve  of  the  Gospel  is  not  promptly  applied  to  remedy 
the  evil.  Thus  the  heart  is  divided,  and  but  too  many 
imagine  that  they  can  serve  their  own  natural  inclina- 
tions, which  the  Scriptures  call  the  flesh,  and  at  the  same 
time  serve  God.  This  unfortunately  applies  even  to  many 
Christians,  who  are  far  from  a  conscious  denial  of  Christ, 
but  who  in  their  lack  of  watchfulness  and  prayer  put 
themselves  into  constant  danger.  When  they  go  to  wor- 
ship they  of  course  do  not  address  their  prayers  and 
praises  to  mammon  or  make  profession  to  engage  in  his 
service:  they  desire  to  worship  God.  When  they  go  out 
into  the  world  and  take  part  in  its  employments  and  en- 
joyments, they  do  not  go  in  mammon's  name  and  ask  his 
blessing  upon  their  conduct.  One  who  thus  openly  sins, 
with  a  full  consciousness  of  what  he  is  doing,  would  prob- 
ably not  have  the  hardihood  to  call  himself  a  believer  in 
Christ.  They  go  through  the  forms  of  Christian  worship, 
and  attend  to  their  business  and  pleasure  without  any 
pronounced  manifestation  of  heathenism.     It  is  therefore 


228  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

not  surprising  tliat  they  ask  the  question,  How  can  their 
conduct  be  idolatry?  Alas,  they  will  not  see,  not  having 
clarified  eyes  they  cannot  see,  that  if  they  do  not  serve 
God  only,  renouncing  utterly  the  service  of  the  world  and 
the  flesh  and  the  devil,  they  are  trying  to  serve  two  mas- 
ters. And  the  effort  is  vain;  for  while  they  profess  to 
be  serving  God  and  are  themselves  deceived  in  thinking 
that  their  devotion  to  mammon  does  not  render  an  ac- 
ceptable service  of  God  impossible,  they  are  really  serv- 
ing another  master.  We  are  bought  with  a  price,  and  our 
Eedeemer  claims  us  wholly.  "For  the  love  of  Christ  con- 
straineth  us;  because  we  thus  judge,  that  if  Christ  died 
for  all,  then  were  all  dead;  and  that  He  died  for  all  that 
they  which  live  should  not  henceforth  live  unto  them- 
selves, but  unto  Him  which  died  for  them  and  rose 
again."  2  Cor.  5,  14 .  15. 

The  impossibility  of  serving  two  masters,  and  the 
necessity  of  renouncing  every  other  master  and  conse- 
crating ourselves  wholly  to  God,  who  will  not  give  His 
glory  to  another,  and  who  commands  us  to  serve  Him 
with  all  our  heart  and  Him  only,  is  further  set  forth  in 
the  subsequent  verses  of  Christ's  sermon.  We  are  re- 
quired to  have  such  implicit  trust  in  God  that  we  shall 
take  no  thought  for  the  supply  of  our  temporal  wants, 
necessary  as  that  supply  is  for  our  life  and  welfare  on 
earth  and  great  as  are  the  incentives  in  our  nature  to 
rivet  our  attention  upon  the  things  needed  for  our  earthly 
subsistence,  and,  giving  way  to  the  delusive  imagination 
of  our  carnal  hearts,  to  strain  every  nerve  by  our  sup- 
posed wisdom  and  power  to  obtain  the  necessaries  of  life 
in  ample  measure. 

1.  Verse  25  lays  down  the  broad  proposition  which 
forbids  our  anxious  concern  about  these  earthly  needs, 
because  God  has  promised  to  provide  and  wants  us  to  trust 
His  fatherly  care.  "Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  Take  no 
thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat  and  what  ye 


THE   LIFE   OF   TRUST.  229 

shall  drink,  nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on." 
We  can  not  serve  two  masters :  serve  God  alone,  and  con- 
fidently look  to  Him  for  the  supply  of  every  want  that 
may  arise  while  engaged  in  His  service.  Our  Savior 
knew  how  directly  this  runs  counter  to  our  natural  in- 
clinations and  all  our  worldly  wisdom.  He  knew  also 
how  i)r()ne  we  are  to  wrest  His  words  in  favor  of  our  self- 
conceited  human  providence,  and  to  tone  them  down  to 
a  sense  more  acceptable  to  our  reason,  and  He  therefore 
repeats  the  words,  that  we  may  be  sure  that  He  meant 
what  He  said.  It  is  a  hard  lesson  to  learn,  and  only  the 
grace  of  our  Lord  can  make  us  docile  pupils;  and  when 
we  are  rendered  willing  to  learn  it,  reducing  it  to  prac- 
tice causes  us  so  much  difficulty  that  we  incur  the  danger 
of  moderating  and  modifying  the  meaning  by  our  inter- 
pretation in  order  to  silence  the  voice  of  conscience  which 
daily  rebukes  our  little  faith. 

The  words  "take  no  thought"  are  the  translation  of 
a  word  signifying  that  anxiety  of  mind  which  we  usually 
call  care.  When  we  imagine  that  our  life  and  all  that  is 
necessary  to  preserve  it  and  make  it  comfortable  depends 
on  our  discretion  and  careful  management  as  well  as 
upon  our  diligence  in  the  work  which  our  hands  find  to 
do,  we  cannot  escape  troublous  thoughts  about  our  efforts 
and  their  success  in  accomplishing  our  plans.  As  long 
as  we  prosper  according  to  our  wishes:  as  long  as  our 
health  is  good  and  our  business  flourishes ;  as  long  as  our 
barns  are  well  filled  and  our  purses  are  well  supplied, 
there  may  be  little  anxiety  about  what  we  shall  eat  and 
drink  and  wherewithal  we  shall  be  clothed,  although  even 
then  we  are  not  secure  against  the  adversities  which  ren- 
der the  continuance  of  these  treasures  unreliable  and  ex- 
cite fears  as  to  what  tomorrow  may  bring  forth.  But 
prosperity  is  not  always  ours.  There  is  much  to  cause 
discouragement  because  plans  have  failed  and  discontent 
because  success  has  not  reached  the  measure  of  desire. 


230  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

And  when  actual  want  seems  threatening  us,  what  then? 
Then  troubles  thicken  if  we  have  no  better  refuge  than 
our  own  providence,  and  cares  are  ready  to  crush  us. 
There  is  no  remedy  for  such  unrest  but  that  which  our 
Lord  sets  before,  us  in  His  lesson  of  trust  in  God.  "Be 
careful  for  nothing;  but  in  everything,  by  prayer  and 
supplication  with  thanksgiving,  let  your  requests  be  made 
known  unto  God."  Phil.  4,  6.  As  He  has  promised  to 
provide  we  need  to  have  no"  anxieties  about  the  supply 
of  our  wants.  That  is  His  concern,  and  He  will  not  fail 
to  execute  His  gracious  will.  Trust  His  Word,  "casting 
all  your  care  upon  Him,  for  He  careth  for  you."  1  Pet. 
5,  7.  It  certainly  is  reasonable  that  we  Christians  should 
rid  ourselves  of  our  cares,  which  are  as  useless  as  they 
are  vexatious,  when  the  God  whom  we  serve  and  who  has 
promised  to  provide  for  His  servants  bids  us  only  to  ask 
and  we  shall  receive,  and  teaches  us  confidently  and  joy- 
fully to  say :  "The  Lord  is  my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want." 
Ps.  22,  1. 

2.  To  overcome  the  shallow  reasonings  of  our  flesh, 
which  lusts  against  the  Spirit,  Christ  appeals  to  the 
sober  reflection  of  His  disciples,  that  under  His  tuition 
they  may  judge  intelligently.  "Is  not  the  life  more  than 
meat  and  the  body  than  raiment?  Behold  the  fowls  of 
the  air;  for  they  sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap  nor  gath- 
er into  barns,  yet  your  heavenly  Father  feedeth  them. 
Are  ye  not  much  better  than  they?  Which  of  you  by 
taking  thought  can  add  one  cubit  to  his  stature?"  With 
all  man's  ingenuity  he  can  neither  increase  his  stature 
nor  prolong  his  life.  His  waste  of  energy  in  this  regard 
would  be  apparent,  even  if  he  did  his  utmost.  He  knows 
that  he  can  increase  his  stature  only  according  to  God's 
will  and  laws,  and  that  he  must  die  when  his  life  has 
reached  its  divinely  prescribed  limit.  And  is  it  not  sheer 
puerility  to  worry  about  the  food  needed  to  sustain  life 
and  the  raiment  needed  to  clothe  the  body,  when  God 


THE   LIFE   OF   TRUST.  231 

cares  for  the  life  which  is  more  than  food,  and  for  the 
body  which  is  more  than  raiment?  God  preserves  our 
lives,  assuredly  lie  will  provide  for  the  things  which  are 
necessary  for  that  preservation.  If  He  cares  for  the 
greater,  He  certainly  will  not  neglect  the  less  which  is 
needed  for  the  accomplishment  of  His  will.  Nor  is  there 
any  rational  ground  for  the  thought  that  His  providence 
is  in  some  way  dependent  for  its  exercise  or  its  efficiency 
upon  our  planning  and  devising  and  operating.  The  fowls 
of  the  air  are  fed,  though  they  do  not  sow  or  reap  or 
gather  into  barns.  Can  God  not  feed  us  just  as  well?  He 
luis  assured  us  that  He  will ;  can  He  not  fulfill  His  promise 
Avithout  the  help  of  our  wisdom  or  work?  He  has  taug'it 
us  to  ask  Him  for  our  daily  bread;  why  should  we  allow 
ourselves  to  be  worried  with  anxious  cares  about  it,  as  if 
the  result  of  our  asking  must  be  dubious  unless  our  pe- 
titions are  buttressed  by  our  own  efforts  to  help  ourselves? 
Why  should  we  worrj^  about  to-morroAv's  bread  instead  of 
asking  it  of  God  and  cheerfully  going  on  our  way  in  the 
assurance  of  faith  that  He  will  provide? 

"And  Avhy  take  ye  thought  for  raiment?  Consider 
the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow :  they  toil  not,  neither 
do  they  spin,  and  yet  I  say  unto  you  that  Solomon  in  all 
his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  Wherefore 
if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is  and 
to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  He  not  much  more 
clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith?"  This  last  question  shows 
where  the  whole  trouble  lies,  when  we  are  tormented 
with  cares  and  anxieties  about  the  necessaries  of  this 
earthly  life.  The  logic  is  unanswerable  on  Christian 
grounds.  If  God  cares  for  animals  and  plants  and  un- 
failingly supplies  them  with  everything  requisite  for  their 
preservation  and  the  attainment  of  the  end  for  which 
they  were  created,  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  suppose 
tlint  He  do(*s  not  care  for  man,  whose  endowments  are  so 
much  greater  and  whose  place  in  the  world  is  so  much  more 


232  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

important.  Reason  would  presume  that  if  God  does  not 
care  for  us  and  has  not  provided  for  the  supply  of  our 
daily  recurring  wants,  His  purpose  must  be  to  let  us  die 
and  thus  effectually  quash  all  thoughts  about  our  future 
food  and  raiment.  But  His  providence  has  never  failed, 
and  His  Word  makes  us  sure  that  it  will  never  fail  to 
furnish  what  His  creatures  need.  It  is  man's  faith  that 
fails.  O  ye  of  little  faith !  That  is  the  explanation  of  his 
carking  care  and  cankerous,  worry  concerning  what  he 
shall  eat  and  wherewithal  he  shall  be  clothed.  People 
do  not  take  God  at  His  word  and  therefore  they  are  need- 
lessly troubled  about  many  things.  They  do  not  believe, 
although  many  of  them  profess  to  believe  the  Scriptures, 
that  "the  eyes  of  all  wait  upon  Thee,  O  Lord,  and  Thou 
givest  them  their  meat  in  due  season.  Thou  openest  Thy 
hand  and  satisfiest  the  desire  of  every  living  thing."  Ps. 
145,  15.  16.  Whatever  words  may  be  employed  in  the 
Bible  to  assure  us  that  God  provides  for  us  all  the  neces- 
saries of  life  and  that  all  our  cares  in  this  regard  are 
superfluous,  the  secret  thought  still  arises  and  exerts  its 
evil  influence,  that  something  essential  in  the  matter  is 
left  to  our  wisdom  and  strength,  and  that  upon  this  all 
must  ultimately  depend.  No  true  Christian  will  deny 
outright  that  God's  good  providence  is  over  all  His  crea- 
tures and  supplies  their  needs,  but  many  evidently  assume 
that  this  is  meant  with  limitations  which  man's  reason 
must  suggest.  This  gives  rise  to  doubts  on  the  subject  and 
leaves  room  for  all  cares  and  worries  which  arise  from 
doubt  and  disbelief,  and  which  so  greatly  afflict  you,  O 
ye  of  little  faith! 

"Therefore  take  no  thought,  saying.  What  shall  we 
eat?  or,  What  shall  we  drink?  or.  Wherewithal  shall  we 
be  clothed?  For  after  all  these  things  do  the  Gentiles 
seek;  for  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  .that  ye  have 
need  of  all  these  things."  Tliese  words  impress  upon 
our  minds  tlie  admonitions  civen  before,  and  offer  two 


THE    LIFE   OF   TRUST.  233 

additional  reasons  why  we  sliould  heed  and  practice 
them.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  heathenish  to  turn  away 
from  the  promises  of  Ood  and  tlie  command  to  lay  our 
wants  before  Him  in  believing  prayer,  and  to  vex  our 
souls  with  needless  cares  as  to  how  our  daily  bread  shall 
be  procured:  as  if  God  never  truly  meant  what  He  says 
and  we  could  be  on  the  safe  side  only  by  looking  out 
for  ourselves  and  putting  our  trust  in  our  own  provident 
plans  and  in  our  own  strong  arms.  The  heathens,  who 
know  not  God  and  His  precious  promises,  may  in  their 
blindness  do  such  impious  things.  They  have  not  the 
means  of  knowing  better.  But  Christians  have  the  light 
from  heaven,  and  are  themselves  to  be  the  light  of  the 
world.  The3'  know  better,  or  at  least  are  much  to  blame 
if,  with  all  the  means  of  heavenly  knowledge  at  hand, 
they  do  not  know  better.  For  them  it  is  a  burning  shame 
to  walk  in  darkness  as  the  benighted  Gentiles  walk. 
Those  who  distrust  God  in  regard  to  His  providence  for 
the  supply  of  their  temporal  needs  should  see  to  it  that 
they  are  not  also  distrusting  Him  in  regard  to  His  grace 
for  the  salvation  of  their  souls,  for  when  His  Word  fails 
to  make  us  sure  as  to  the  one,  there  is  nothing  to  make 
us  sure  as  to  the  other.  In  the  second  place,  "Your 
lieavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of  all  these 
things."  If  you  believe  in  Him,  then  trust  His  promises 
and  cast  your  cares  upon  Him,  for  he  careth  for  you. 
Clirist  has  tauglit  us  to  call  Him  our  Father,  and  invites 
us  to  believe  that  by  faith  we  are  His  true  children.  Our 
earthly  fathers  love  us  and  under  God  look  after  their 
cliildren's  welfare.  If  these  have  childlike  hearts  do 
they  ])ermit  the  thought  to  arise  in  them  that  it  would 
be  unsafe  to  trust  their  fathers'  care  and  as  soon  as 
reason  dawns  begin  to  nurse  anxieties  concerning  their 
food  and  clothing?  That  is  not  their  business.  Their 
phice  and  duty  is  to  love  and  obey  their  ])arents  and 
not  interfere  with  the  father's  management  of  his  own 


234  THE   SEKMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

affairs.  They  are  iinfilial  cbildren  if  they  do  not  trust 
him.  Much  more  reason  have  we  to  trust  our  heavenly 
Father,  who  is  not  subject  to  the  infirmities  of  earthly 
fathers,  which  sometimes  seem  an  excuse  for  the  impiety 
of  the  children.  He  always  has  the  power  to  fulfill  the 
promises  of  His  love,  and  will  resort  to  miracles  now,  as 
He  has  done  in  the  past,  if  the  ordinary  provisions  in 
nature  should  in  any  case  be  inadequate  for  such  fulfill- 
ment. He  is  our  Father  and  is  Almighty:  shall  we  not 
tiust  Him  and  be  content?  He  may  not  give  us  wealth; 
He  may  not  give  us  as  much  of  this  world's  goods  as 
our  greedy  hearts  ma^^  desire.  He  has  made  no  such 
promises.  But  He  will  give  us  v/hat  we  need  and  as 
much  as  He  knows  to  be  for  our  good.  Is  not  that 
enough?  What  thankless,  unfilial  hearts  we  have,  if  we 
say  it  is  not,  and  in  consequence  pierce  ourselves  through 
with  many  sorrows  by  our  covetousness  and  our  vain 
worries  and  cares.  That  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  the 
Gospel  does  not  have  the  desired  effect  on  so  many  hearts. 
They  hear  the  Word  indeed,  but  it  falls  among  thorns; 
and  they  "go  forth  and  are  choked  with  cares  and  riches 
and  pleasures  of  this  life,  and  bring  no  fruit  to  perfec- 
tion."    Luke  8,  16. 

3.  An  explanation  follows,  without  which  many 
might  find  it  difficult  to  harmonize  the  lesson  of  this  en- 
tire section  with  other  teachings  of  the  Holy  Scripture. 
"But  seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteous- 
ness, and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you.  Take 
therefore  no  thought  for  the  morrow;  for  the  morrow 
shall  take  thought  for  the  things  of  itself.  Sufficient 
unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 

It  is  not  presupposed  that  all  requisites  for  the  cor- 
dial acceptance  and  cheerful  performance  of  such  de- 
mands lie  dormant  in  our  nature  and  only  n-eed  arousing. 
The  sermon  on  the  mount  is  not  based  on  such  prin- 
ciples, and  the  kingdom  of  God  which  it  proclaims  not 


THE   LIFE   OF   TRUST.  235 

only  does  not  recognize  them,  but  requires  their  renun- 
ciation. They  belong  to  the  flesh  which  must  be  cruci- 
fied if  we  would  be  followers  of  Christ.  When  we  start 
from  the  right  premises  reason  will  indeed  be  capable  of 
discerning  the  folly  of  man's  natural  thoughts  about  pro- 
curing and  laying  up  in  store  the  transitory  things  of 
the  world,  which  God  alone  can  give  and  which  He  bounti- 
fully bestows  on  all  His  creatures  according  to  their 
needs.  But  finding  the  right  premises  and  acting  upon 
the  rational  conclusions  is  a  different  matter.  That  is 
the  province  of  faith,  which  is  the  gift  of  God,  not  a 
product  of  our  own  nature.  Hence  seeking  first  the  king- 
dom of  God  and  His  righteousness  is  indispensable  to  the 
banishment  of  anxious  thought  concerning  what  we  shall 
eat  or  what  we  shall  drink  or  wherewithal  we  shall  be 
clothed.  Naturally  we  imagine  that  providing  for  these 
necessary  things  belongs  to  us,  and  that  any  failure  to 
possess  them  in  ample  measure  is  our  fault,  and  rightly 
brings  dishonor  upon  us  as  well  as  the  discomforts  of 
want.  Hence  the  common  despising  of  the  poor  and  the 
honoring  of  the  rich.  The  Gentiles  naturally  struggle 
for  earthly  goods,  and  the  natural  light  of  the  people 
living  in  civilized  countries  does  not  lift  them  above  the 
inborn  infirmities  of  their  fallen  nature,  so  that  without 
the  heavenly  power  of  the  Gospel  they  do  not  in  this 
respect  differ  from  the  Gentiles.  The  common  thought 
is  that  they  must  provide  for  themselves,  and  that  of 
course  the  more  they  accumulate  the  better  they  are  se- 
cured against  want.  So  taking  anxious  thought  about 
the  morrow,  they  worry  and  work,  and  work  and  worry; 
and  as  the  result  of  their  efforts  to  safeguard  themselves 
against  any  possible  adversities  is  of  course  insufficient 
to  satisfy  tlieir  greed  and  their  fears,  they  are  always 
burdened  with  cares.  The  remedy  for  these  foolish 
anxieties  is  found  only  in  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His 
righteousness.     This  must  be  sought  first,  not  only  be- 


236  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

cause  in  a  riglit  estimate  of  values  this  is  the  most  im- 
portant and  must  have  precedence,  but  also  because  the 
right  attitude  towards  temporal  things,  as  subordinate 
to  the  spiritual  and  eternal  treasures,  is  dependent  upon 
our  faith  in  the  great  King,  under  whose  dominion  of 
grace  all  things  are  ours.  When  we  have  citizenship  in 
that  kingdom  with  its  great  spiritual  immunities  and 
privileges  all  other  things  shall  be  added  unto  us. 

We  enter  the  kingdom  of  God  when  we  become  dis- 
ciples of  Christ  and  believe  in  Him.  This  faith  is  first 
of  all  the  apprehension  of  Him  as  our  Savior  and  of  His 
righteousness,  so  that  we  are  justified  by  faith  and  have 
peace  with  God.  There  is  no  just  ground  for  restricting 
the  sense  of  the  word  righteousness  to  the  personal  holi- 
ness and  godly  living  of  Christ's  disciples.  It  is  undoubt- 
edly true  that  the  hearers  of  His  sermon  were  not  yet 
able  to  understand  the  full  import  of  His  obedience  unto 
death  to  work  out  a  perfect  righteousness  for  us,  which 
the  Gospel  should  bring  and  faith  should  receive ;  but  that 
is  no  reason  for  assuming  that  His  words  could  mean  no 
more  for  them  and  for  us  than  they  were  then  able  to  un- 
derstand, although  in  the  divine  purpose  the  sincere  be- 
lievers should  later  be  led  into  all  truth.  What  they 
were  to  seek  first  is  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  right- 
eousness, which  in  the  divine  mind  was  the  same  then  as 
now.  Even  to  the  children  of  God  in  later  times,  and 
down  to  our  own  day,  there  are  many  things  pertaining 
to  that  kingdom  which  yet  lie  in  the  future  and  are  not 
yet  fully  unfolded  to  our  view.  But  we  are  to  seek  it 
still  in  all  its  fulness  and  in  all  its  glory,  laying  up  for 
ourselves  treasures  in  heaven.  "Seek  those  things  which 
are  above,  where  Christ  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God," 
though  the  glory  of  them  all  surpasses  our  understand- 
ing. The  righteousness  through  which  by  faith  we  have 
an  assured  hope  of  eternal  blessedness,  and  in  the  appro- 
priation of  which  we  have  peace  on  earth  and  glory  in 


THE    LIFE   OF   TRUST.  237 

lieaven,  is  the  righteousness  which  our  Savior  acquired 
by  fulfilling  all  the  requirements  which  God  makes  upon 
us.  It  is  His  obedience  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the 
cross.  This  was  rendered  for  us  and  is  now  imputed  to 
us  by  faith,  without  the  deeds  of  the  law.  We  thus  be- 
come children  of  God,  and  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
receive  childlike  hearts  which  trust  their  Father's  Word 
and  rely  upon  His  promises,  which  they  know  to  be  yea 
and  amen  forever.  It  is  thus  that  they  are  taught  and 
brought  to  cast  their  cares  upon  God,  who  careth  for  us. 
"Godliness  is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise 
of  the  life  that  now  is  and  of  that  which  is  to  come." 
1.  Tim.  4,  8. 

Lest  any  reader  should  think  that  we  are  overlook- 
ing difficulties  which  seem  grave  to  many  minds,  we  re- 
peat that  the  subject  presents  a  lesson  which  is  hard  to 
learn.  It  does  this  not  only  because  the  command  to  take 
no  thought  for  the  goods  of  earth  and  for  to-morrow's 
necessary  bread  conflicts  with  our  natural  sentiment  and 
reason,  but  also  because  it  seems  to  be  inconsistent  with 
divine  teaching  in  other  places  of  Holy  Scripture.  The 
reflection  is  not  easily  suppressed,  that  the  banishment 
from  our  minds  of  all  anxious  cares  for  the  supply  of  the 
necessaries  of  life  for  the  present  and  the  future  would 
not  only  make  all  successful  business  impossible,  but 
surely  bring  us  to  want.  And  this  conclusion  of  our  rea- 
son appears  to  be  sustained  by  various  passages  of  holy 
writ.  "Go  to  the  ant,  thou  sluggard,"  the  wise  man  ad- 
monishes; "consider  her  ways  and  be  wise,  which,  having 
no  guide,  overseer,  or  ruler,  provideth  her  meat  in  the 
summer  and  gathereth  her  food  in  the  harvest."  Prov.  6, 
6-8.  That  commends  itself  to  man's  common  sense.  The 
slothful  man  is  warned  that  giving  way  to  his  indolence 
will  bring  him  trouble.  "Yet  a  little  sleep,  a  little  slum- 
ber, a  little  folding  of  the  hands  to  sleep:  so  shall  thy 
poverty  come  as  one  that  traveleth,  and  thy  want  as  an 


238  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

armed  man,"  Prov.  24,  33  .  34.     The  rebuke  of  the  lazy 
and  self-indulgent  idler  is  just,  and  human  judgments 
are  usually  of  one  accord  in  declaring  that  it  serves  such 
a  fellow  right  when  poverty  and  want  overtake  him.  When 
our  Lord  miraculously  fed  the  thousands  who  followed 
Him,  "He  said  unto  His  disciples.  Gather  up  the  frag- 
ments that  remain,   that  nothing  be   lost."   John   6,   12. 
Thoughtful  minds  approve  the  good  advice  to  save  what 
is  not  needed  to-day :  it  may  be  needed  to-morrow.     And 
St.  Paul  exhorts:  "That  ye  study  to  be  quiet,  and  to  do 
your  own  business,  and  to  work  with  your  own  hands, 
as  we  commanded  you,  that  ye  may  walk  honestly  toward 
them  that  are  without,  and  that  ye  may  have  lack  of  noth- 
ing." 1  Thess.  4,  11 .  12.     All  this  coincides  with  the  dic- 
tates of  reason  and  our  human  sense  of  right:  must  not 
the  Christian  conscience  make  account  of  it  in  reading 
the  Lord's  lesson  on  a  life  of  trust  in  God  and  freedom 
from  vexing  cares?     Of  course  it  must;  and  it  does  so 
most  cheerfully,  because  it  is  intent  upon  knowing  the 
mind  of  the  Lord  and  doing  the  Master's  will.     But  it  is 
all  a  mistake  to  presume  that  these  texts  conflict  with 
Christ's  teaching  and  require  us  to  take  His  words  in 
another  than  their  proper  sense.     If  only  all  Christians, 
instead  of  endeavoring  to  make  His  doctrine  harmonize 
with   their   natural   reason   and   carnal   sentiments   and 
habits,  which   is   indeed  a  difficult  undertaking,   would 
seek  first  the  kingdom   of  God  and  His   righteousness, 
there  would  not  even  seem  to  be  an  inconsistency  in  the 
statements  and  requirements.     The  texts  cited  only  help 
us  to  understand  better  the  teaching  of  our  Lord.     For 
they  all  teach  us  one  and  the  same  thing,  that  we  cannot 
serve  two  masters,  that  God  is  absolutely  Lord  whom 
alone  we  must  serve  if  we  would  be  Christians,  that  he 
cannot  be  a  faithful  servant  who  will  not  •  in  all  things 
trust  this  merciful  and  mighty  Master,  and  that  under 
Him  in  His  kingdom  our  calling  is  to  do  His  will,  fulfill- 


THE   LIFE   OF   TRUST.  239 

ing  our  duties  as  His  grace  gives  us  abilit}-,  but  not 
worrying  about  the  results  of  our  work,  as  if  He  had 
given  the  government  and  care  of  His  kingdom  into  our 
hands.  Even  so  far  as  our  own  immediate  interests  are 
concerned,  our  subsistence  whilst  we  sojourn  here  and 
our  blessedness  hereafter,  our  concern  is  to  do  what  He 
tells  us  and  let  Hiiu  provide  and  see  that  in  the  outcome 
His  counsels  are  fulfilled  and  the  purpose  of  His  love  is 
accomplished.  "Humble  yourselves  therefore  under  the 
mighty  hand  of  God,  that  He  may  exalt  you  in  due  time, 
casting  all  your  care  upon  Him,  for  He  careth  for  you." 
1  Pet.  5,  6 .  7,  God  keeps  the  reins  of  government  in  His 
own  hands.  He  saves  us,  we  do  not  save  ourselves.  But 
He  saves  us  in  His  gracious  way,  not  according  to  our  wis- 
dom or  whims.  He  tells  us  what  to  do  to  be  saved.  That 
we  are  to  do,  and  trust  that  thus  His  end  will  be  attained. 
To  permit  doubts  to  arise  about  the  feasibility  of  His 
plan  and  the  wisdom  of  His  means  to  execute  it,  to  give 
way  to  anxious  cares  about  the  soul's  deliverance  from 
sin  and  death  and  run  hither  and  thither  in  wild  and  vain 
efforts  to  effect  it  according  to  the  devices  of  nature  and 
clamors  of  reason,  and  to  declare  it  folly  to  accept  as  suf- 
ficient the  simple  words  of  our  Lord  in  their  plain  and 
proper  sense,  "He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall 
be  saved,"  is  to  frustrate  the  very  purpose  about  whose 
accomplishment  we  entertain  such  vain  anxiety  and 
worry.  Do  what  the  Lord  tells  you,  and  leave  the  result 
to  Him,  rejoicing  that  He  cares  for  you  and  will  fulfill 
His  promise.  And  so  we  have  our  place  assigned  and  our 
duties  laid  upon  us  liy  the  Lord  whom  we  serve.  To  fill 
this  place  and  do  this  work  concerns  us  much ;  for  it  is 
required  of  a  steward  that  a  man  be  found  faithful.  To 
provide  for  what  we  shall  eat  and  what  we  shall  drink 
and  wherewithal  we  shall  he  clothed,  that  is  the  Master's 
concern;  for  He  has  promised  us  our  daily  bread.  To 
worrv  about  that,  instead  of  devoting  our  whole  heart 


240  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

to  the  duties  assigned  us,  is  to  meddle  with  matters  for 
which  we  have  no  calling  and  for  which  we  are  not  com- 
petent, and  it  can  only  result  in  rendering  us  unfaithful 
servants  in  our  unfllial  presumption. 

When  the  sluggard  who  neglects  the  duties  of  his 
calling  and  comes  to  want  because  of  his  lazy  violation 
of  God's  providential  order,  is  referred  to  the  ant  for  a 
lesson  in  providing  in  time  of  plenty  for  future  dearth, 
that  lesson  is  rendered  ineffective  by  the  assumption  that 
it  is  in  conflict  with  the  teaching  of  the  sermon  on  the 
mount.  The  ant  is  just  as  dependent  upon  God's  care 
for  its  needs  as  the  fowls  of  the  air  and  the  lilies  of  the 
field,  and  it  teaches  the  same  lesson.  It  lets  God  care 
for  its  life  and  its  food,  and  lays  up  according  to  the 
order  of  His  providence  what  His  bounty  bestows,  with- 
out a  thought  of  meddling  with  His  way  of  providing  or 
a  worry  about  its  sufliciency  or  a  tremor  about  the  pos- 
sibilities of  its  failure.  Let  the  sluggard  learn  of  the 
ant  to  do  his  work  faithfully  as  God  ordains,  and  let 
Him  do  the  providing.  "Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good; 
so  Shalt  thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be 
fed."  Ps.  37,  3. 

When  we  become  citizens  in  the  kingdom  of  God 
through  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  we  renounce  the 
devil  and  the  world  and  the  flesh.  He  permits  us  still 
to  live  a  little  while  in  this  world,  because  He  has  some- 
thing for  us  to  do  here.  While  He  directs  all  the  affairs 
of  the  universe  and  rules  over  all.  He  employs  men  and 
angels  as  His  servants  to  execute  His  will.  In  His  king- 
dom of  nature  and  of  grace  He  honors  us  with  a  place 
and  a  calling  to  render  service.  In  this  His  people  de- 
light to  engage,  because  it  is  their  good  Lord's  pleasure 
and  because  they  are  useful  on  earth  while  they  do  His 
will.  What  shall  we  have  for  this  service?  If  we  ask 
such  a  question  in  a  menial  and  merpenary  spirit,  relying 
upon  our  supposed  merit  and  claiming  a  corresponding 


THE   LIFE   OF  TRUST.  241 

reward,  we  shall  have  nothing  for  it  but  the  Master's  re- 
buke. God  owes  us  nothing,  w^e  owe  Him  everything. 
He  will  make  no  contract  with  us  on  commercial  prin- 
ciples. But  He  is  a  bountiful  Father  who  graciously  dis- 
penses wealth  and  blessing  above  all  that  we  are  able  to 
ask  or  think.  He  delivers  us  from  the  slavish  service  of 
sin  under  the  dominion  of  Satan,  gives  us  life  and  salva- 
tion, and  makes  us  heirs  of  glory  in  His  kingdom,  and 
this  without  any  merit  or  worthiness  of  ours.  But  we 
must  wait  for  the  full  enjoyment  of  our  inheritance  until 
we  have  fulfilled  the  purpose  of  our  Father  on  earth. 
Meantime  we  are  to  be  faithful  in  His  service  here,  and 
occupy  the  place  and  do  the  work  which  He  assigns  us, 
trusting  in  Him  for  the  supply  of  our  wants  on  earth  as 
we  trust  in  Him  to  lead  us  safely  to  our  eternal  home. 
He  has  provided  for  all  this,  and  His  provision  is  wise 
and  good  and  effectual,  working  out  securely  and  con- 
tinually the  purpose  of  His  providence  and  grace.  So 
we  have  the  supply  of  our  spiritual  wants  through  the 
means  of  grace  entrusted  to  the  Church;  and  so  ample 
arrangements  are  made  in  the  powers  of  nature  and  the 
distribution  of  gifts  and  assignment  of  vocations  for  the 
supply  of  our  temporal  wants. 

God's  plan  is  not  that  all  the  members  of  His  king- 
dom on  earth  should  devote  their  entire  time  and  talent 
to  the  immediate  work  of  preserving  and  extending  His 
Church  with  its  riches  of  grace  unto  salvation.  He  has 
appointed  a  special  ministry  for  this,  without  however 
dispensing  a  single  member  from  rendering  service  ac- 
cording to  his  gift  and  station  and  opportunity ;  for  what- 
ever may  be  each  one's  secular  calling,  all  have  the  vo- 
cation alike,  as  a  chosen  generation  and  a  royal  priest- 
hood, "that  ye  should  show  forth  the  praises  of  Him  who 
hath  called  you  out  of  darkness  to  His  marvelous  light." 
1  Pet.  2,  9.  With  this  heavenly  calling  the  earthly  vo- 
cation given  in  the  providence  of  God  does  not  interfere 

16 


242  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT, 

when  we  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteous- 
ness. We  serve  Him  when  we  perform  the  duties  which 
He  has  assigned  us  in  our  homes  and  business,  in  our 
community  and  country,  as  well  as  when  we  perform  our 
duties  in  the  closet  and  in  the  Church.  All  these  ordi- 
nances of  God's  providence  and  of  His  grace  work  har- 
moniously together  as  divine  arrangements  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  His  good  will  on  earth.  This  provides 
for  all  —  for  all  needed  service  and  for  all  needed  sup- 
plies. One  is  a  farmer,  another  is  a  mechanic,  a  third 
is  a  merchant.  All  are  to  serve  God  and  thus  under  Him 
to  serve  one  another.  The  farmer  raises  bread  and  meat, 
the  mechanic  makes  clothing  and  l)uilds  houses,  the  mer- 
chant brings  the  produce  to  market  for  our  convenience. 
All  labor  for  the  welfare  of  all,  and  all  receive  their 
wages.  But  none  of  them  is  the  originator  of  the  things 
in  which  service  is  rendered,  none  is  lord  of  the  lands 
and  the  goods,  none  has  power  over  the  results  of  his 
labor,  and  none  has  a  right  to  do  as  he  pleases  in  re- 
gard to  working  and  using  the  proceeds.  All  are  merely 
stewards,  who  work  for  God  in  their  stations  and  calling, 
all  are  required  to  be  faithful  in  doing  the  Lord's  will, 
and  all  must  render  to  Him  an  account  of  their  steward- 
ship. He  cares  for  all  and  provides  for  ail;  no  one  need 
worry  about  the  results.  Only  when  men  set  up  for  them- 
selves, refusing  to  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His 
righteousness,  does  any  conflict  arise.  But  then  it  is  not 
a  conflict  of  one  portion  of  Scripture  with  another  and  one 
duty  with  another,  but  a  conflict  of  the  natural  mind 
and  the  carnal  heart  with  the  government  of  God  in  His 
providence  and  grace;  and  then  come  discontent  with  the 
Master's  apportionment  of  His  goods  to  His  servants,  a 
greed  for  more  than  He  deems  it  wise  to  give,  a  human 
provision  that  promises  better  profits,  and  a  ceaseless 
anxiety  and  worry  and  care  about  the  results. 

But  is  it  not  true  then  that  the  Christian  must  work 


THE   LIFE   OF   TRUST.  243 

to  secure  daily  bread;  that  he  must  save  to  have  something 
over  for  possible  adversities;  and  that  he  must  accord- 
ingly take  thought  of  these  things  and  have  many  cares 
respecting  them?  The  question  manifests  the  confusion 
of  a  mind  that  would  serve  two  masters.  Yes,  the  Chris- 
tian must  work,  if  he  would  be  faithful  to  the  Master 
whom  he  professes  to  serve;  he  must  save  the  fragments 
that  remain,  if  he  would  escape  the  reproach  of  wasting 
his  Lord's  goods;  but  he  must  not  presume  that  he  is  the 
Master  whose  wise  providence  supplies  his  wants  and  to 
whom  the  honor  of  it  all  is  due.  If  he  is  a  faithful  servant, 
his  labor  and  discretion  will  further  the  purpose  of  the 
Lord,  and  his  service  will  of  course  be  tributary  to  the 
end  which  God  has  in  view.  But  it  is  God  that  supplies 
and  distributes  the  necessaries  of  life.  It  is  He  that  has 
given  and  preserves  our  powers  of  mind  and  body,  shows 
us  what  He  would  have  us  to  do,  gives  us  strength  to  do 
it,  and  bestows  His  blessing  to  make  it  effective.  Our 
part  is  that  of  the  servant  who  obeys  the  Master's  orders, 
without  presuming  to  lay  the  plan  of  His  government, 
or  prescribe  to  Him  the  means  and  measures  to  make  it 
effectual.  Therefore  it  is  not  for  us  to  harbor  cares  and 
anxieties  about  its  success,  nor  to  murmur  and  complain 
if  the  result  is  not  what  we  expected  and  in  our  self-conceit 
thought  we  had  a  right  to  expect.  Let  God  rule ;  cast  your 
cares  upon  Him,  for  He  careth  for  you;  be  content  with 
what  His  wisdom  gives  you;  then  you  shall  not  want. 
The  Lord  of  course  calls  to  labor,  not  to  idleness.  The 
work  of  each  is  made  to  fit  in  with  the  order  by  which  God 
governs  the  world;  and  when  each  performs  his  part  His 
good  will  is  done  and  daily  bread  is  supplied  to  all.  Hence 
it  is  that  when  we  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His 
righteousness  all  other  things  are  added  unto  us.  He  pro- 
vides for  that.  Of  us  it  is  requii'ed  that  we  be  found  faith- 
ful, which  we  cannot  be  if  we  stand  all  the  day  idle  or 
waste  our  Lord's  substance  with  luxurious  living. 


244  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

Probably  if  sin,  had  not  come  into  the  world  the  order 
of  divine  providence  would  be  different;  but  as  it  is  the 
decree  is  issued  that  "in  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou 
eat  bread  till  thou  return  unto  the  ground."  Gen.  3,  19. 
We  cannot  be  dispensed  from  this,  and  we  rebel  against 
the  Lord  of  all  when  we  try  to  set  His  decree  aside."When 
we  were  with  you  this  we  commanded  you,  that  if  any 
would  not  work,  neither  should  he  eat.  For  we  hear  that 
there  are  some  which  walk  among  you  disorderly,  working 
not  at  all,  but  are  busybodies.  Now  them  that  are  such 
we  command  and  exhort,  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that 
with  quietness  they  work,  and  eat  their  own  bread."  2 
Thess.  3,  10-12.  We  are  not  to  infer  from  the  law  requir- 
ing us  to  work,  that  our  violation  of  the  law  by  our  indo- 
lence would  make  God's  care  for  our  earthly  subsistence  of 
none  effect,  as  if,  after  all,  the  success  of  God's  providence 
is  dependent  on  the  part  which  is  assigned  to  us  in  the 
execution  of  His  plans.  We  must  not  flatter  ourselves 
with  the  proud  conceit  that  if  we  refuse  to  be  obedient 
servants  the  whole  counsel  of  the  Master  must  fail.  The 
sluggard  will  suffer  for  his  unfaithfulness,  and  God  may 
punish  him  even  in  this  life  by  withholding  His  good  gifts 
as  well  as  by  visiting  other  pains  and  penalties  upon  him ; 
but  the  purpose  of  the  Lord's  government  will  not  be 
foiled  by  such  sins,  as  it  is  not  foiled  by  Satan's  work 
in  other  forms.  God  still  provides  the  needed  bread  and 
gives  it  even  to  the  wicked.  That  depends  on  His  will, 
not  on  ours.  Futhermore,  when  St.  Paul  exhorts  that 
the  idlers  should  work  and  eat  his  own  bread,  the  impli- 
cation is  that  by  pursuing  disorderly  ways  and  being  a 
busybody  in  other  people's  affairs,  instead  of  quietly  mind- 
ing his  OAvn  business  in  the  work  assigned  him,  he  eats 
the  bread  of  others  and  becomes  a  worthless  parasite  in 
the  community ;  for  it  is  embraced  in  the  divine  order,  by 
which  the  necessaries  of  life  are  secured  to  all  creatures, 
that  men  in  their  relation  to  one  another  should  respect 


THE   LIFE   OF   TRUST.  245 

the  gifts  and  goods  and  opportunities  bestowed  on  each, 
and  that  every  one  that  is  willing^  to  work  should  eat  his 
own  bread  as  the  fruit  of  his  hibor,  and  not,  as  a  beggar  or 
a  thief,  take  that  which  the  Lord  apportions  to  another. 
But  there  could  scarcely  be  a  misunderstanding  more 
thoroughly  subversive  of  the  sense  of  the  words  than  that 
of  taking  them  to  teach  reliance  upon  the  merit  of  our 
^^ork  as  establishing  the  claim,  that  the  bread  which  we 
receive  is  our  own  over  against  God  as  well  as  over 
against  men.  In  our  commerce  with  our  fellow  stewards 
we  earn  our  bread;  in  our  relation  to  God  we  are  all  un- 
profitable servants,  who  have  earned  nothing  and  live 
only  on  the  gifts  of  His  bounty.  The  Lord  calls  us  as 
laborers  not  because  He  needs  our  work  and  is  willing 
to  pay  for  it,  but  because  He  has  blessings  to  bestow 
and  wants  us  to  share  them.  Frequently  as  the  duty  of 
labor  is  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures,  it  is  never  urged 
on  the  ground  that  it  is  the  essential  factor  in  the 
plan  of  Providence  to  secure  our  daily  bread.  Always 
is  this  taught  to  be  the  free  gift  of  God's  goodness, 
of  whom  we  are  to  ask  it  in  prayer,  without  ever  en- 
tertaining the  thought  that  it  is  the  product  of  our 
work  and  wisdom  and  care,  and  to  whom  we  are  to  give 
thanks  for  it,  without  permitting  the  carnal  feeling  to 
arise  that  we  have  earned  it  and  He  owes  it  to  us.  As 
against  our  fellow  men  we  can  speak  of  earning  our 
wages  and  claiming  our  dues  and  eating  our  own  bread, 
but  in  our  relation  to  God  our  duty  is  and  our  pleasure 
should  be  to  do  what  He  tells  us,  and  our  only  legitimate 
care  is  to  be  found  faithful  in  the  service  of  a  good  Lord 
who  does  all  the  providing  and  assumes  all  the  cares  of 
His  vast  estate. 

The  same  principle  applies  to  our  saving  of  surplus 
goods.  Ordinarily  God  does  not  deal  out  the  necessaries 
of  life  according  to  the  measure  of  each  day's  needs, 
though   He  teaches   us  to  ask  no   more.     When   Christ 


246  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

miraculously  fed  thousands,  there  were  fragments  remain- 
ing", which  He  commanded  His  disciples  to  take  up,  not 
to  cast  away.  In  numerous  cases  we  receive  enough  not 
only  for  to-day,  but  for  many  days,  even  for  many  years. 
That  is  according  to  His  good  pleasure,  who  provides  for 
all  and  who  makes  even  His  temporal  gifts  tributary  to 
the  eternal  purposes  of  His  love.  If  He  gives  us  more  than 
we  need  today,  of  course  He  requires,  as  good  stewards 
who  must  give  account,  not  to  waste  the  Lord's  goods. 
But  never  is  the  motive  urged  that  this  will  secure  us 
against  want  in  the  future,  or  that  the  hoarding  of  wealth 
will  make  us  happy  in  our  independence  of  all  resources 
but  our  own.  The  warnings  against  the  love  of  money 
and  the  eagerness  to  get  rich  are  so  frequent  and  so  insist- 
ent that  Christians  should  banish  all  thought  of  laying  up 
treasures  on  earth,  and  consider  the  duty  of  saving  only 
a  necessary  element  of  the  faithfulness  which  the  Lord 
requires  of  His  servants,  that  they  may  use  the  gift  as 
He  directs.  "Let  him  that  stole  steal  no  more ;  but  rather 
let  him  labor,  working  with  his  hands  the  thing  which  is 
good,  that  he  may  have  to  give  to  him  that  needeth." 
Eph.  4,  28. 

Hence  to  the  believing  mind  all  anxious  cares  and  wor- 
ries about  the  results  of  our  plans  and  labors  to  supply 
the  necessities  of  life,  and  the  amount  of  our  savings  to 
have  a  good  stock  on  hand  for  future  emergencies,  present 
themselves  as  infirmities  of  the  flesh  which  are  inconsist- 
ent with  the  life  of  trust  required  by  our  Lord,  and  which 
must  be  renounced.  The  true  believer  does  not  depend 
on  himself  for  his  daily  bread,  as  he  does  not  depend  on 
himself  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  although  he  knows 
right  well  the  order  of  God  requiring  him  to  be  faithful  in 
his  calling  as  regards  the  one  and  in  the  use  of  the  means 
of  grace  as  regards  the  other.  And  therefore  he  does  not 
become  the  unhappy  victim  of  vexing  cares  as  to  what 
he  shall  eat  or  Avhat  he  shall  drink  or  wherewithal  he  shall 


THE   LIFE   OF   TRUST  247 

be  clothed;  for  his  plans  and  schemes  to  supply  his  wants 
may  indeed  fail,  but  his  worry  on  that  score  comes  only 
of  his  want  of  faith  in  God  and  is  therefore  a  burden 
which  sin  imposes;  and  the  ways  of  God,  who  does  the 
providinp;,  can  never  fail  and  his  worry  on  that  score 
would  be  utterly  at  fault  and  richly  merit  the  rebuke,  "O 
ye  of  little  faith!"  In  either  case  the  remedy  lies  in 
Christ's  exhortation  and  promise:  "Seek  ye  first  the  king- 
dom of  God  and  His  righteousness,  and  all  these  things 
shall  be  added  unto  you." 

If  the  steward  strives  to  be  faithful  he  will  have  no 
difficulty  with  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  which  are  so  often 
quoted  in  opposition  to  the  doctrine  here  set  forth.  He 
says :  "If  any  provide  not  for  his  own,  and  especially  for 
those  of  his  own  house,  he  hath  denied  the  faith  and  is 
worse  than  an  infidel."  1  Tim.  5,  8.  It  is  an  amazing 
exegesis  of  these  words  when  any  one  professing  to  be  a 
disciple  of  Christ  brings  out  as  their  sense,  that  a  man 
does  wrong  when  he  minds  his  business  and  trusts  in 
God  for  his  and  his  family's  daily  bread,  making  known 
to  Him  his  wants  in  humble  prayer,  confident  that  He 
will  provide,  and  "casting  all  care  upon  Him,  for  He 
careth  for  us."  The  man  who  idles  his  time  away  instead 
of  doing  the  work  of  his  calling,  and  wastes  the  substance 
which  God  gives  him  in  riotous  living,  instead  of  apply- 
ing it  to  the  support  of  his  family  as  God  designs,  is  worse 
than  an  infidel,  because  even  the  natural  impulses  of  hu- 
manity move  the  soul  to  relieve  want  when  it  is  seen,  es- 
pecially in  one's  own  household.  Such  a  one  is  guilty  of 
the  double  sin  of  failing  to  do  the  work  assigned  and 
squandering  on  his  lust  what  was  given  him  to  provide, 
under  God,  for  those  of  his  own  house.  He  is  not  a  faith- 
ful servant.     That  is  the  root  of  his  trouble. 

In  the  lesson  of  trust  which  Christ  gives,  our  faith  is 
often  put  on  severe  trial.  We  do  not  say  that  an  easy 
task  is  laid  upon  it,  nor  do  we  say  that  every  sincere 


248  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

Christian  has  attained  the  life  of  trust.  It  is  the  ideal  at 
which  we  are  all  aiming,  and  we  must  not  cease  to  press 
toward  the  mark  of  our  high  calling,  lamenting  our  short- 
comings and  praying  fervently  for  more  faith,  that  we 
may  fully  trust  God's  providence  and  grace  for  time  and 
for  eternity. 


SECTION  xn. 

The  Walk  in  Wisdom. 
(Matthew  7,  I-n.) 

fN  the  portion  of  Christ's  sermon  contained  in  the 
7th  chapter  of  St.  Matthew's  Gospel,  there  is  no 
apparent  connection  between  the  various  topics  that 
would  indicate  tlieir  being  designed  as  parts  of  a  larger 
whole.  They  all  throw  light  on  the  life  in  Christ's  king- 
dom, and  the  verses  1-11  may  be  fitly  considered  as  an 
exhortation  to  walk  wisely  in  Christian  love. 

1.  "Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged.  For  with 
what  judgment  ye  judge  ye  shall  be  judged;  and  with 
what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again. 
And  why  beholdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's 
eye,  but  considerest  not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own 
eye?  or  how  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother,  Let  me  pull  out 
the  mote  out  of  thine  eye,  and,  behold,  a  beam  is  in  thine 
own  eye?  Thou  hypocrite,  first  cast  out  the  beam  out  of 
thine  own  eye,  and  then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  cast  out 
the  mote  out  of  thy  brother's  eye." 

To  understand  these  words  correctly,  some  distinc- 
tions must  evidently  be  made.  There  is  a  judging  which 
is  not  only  forbidden,  but  which  is  expressly  commanded 
as  necessary  for  the  spiritual  life  and  the  prosperity 
of  Christ's  kingdom  on  earth.  "He  that  is  spiritual 
judgeth  all  things,"  says  St.  Paul,  1  Cor.  2,  1^  The  nat- 
ural man  can  be  no  judge  of  the  things  revealed  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  but  "the  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that 
fear  Him,  and  He  will  show  them  His  covenant."  Ps. 
25,  14.  We  could  not  beware  of  false  prophets,  as  we 
are  commanded  to  do,  if  we  had  not  the  right  and  the 
duty  to  judge  whether  they  prophesy  according  to  the 

249 


250  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Word  of  God.  "Beloved,  believe  not  every  spirit,  but 
try  the  spirits  whether  they  are  of  God;  because  many 
false  prophets  are  gone  out  into  the  world."  1  John  4,  1. 
I'he  Scriptures,  which  are  given  by  inspiration  of  God, 
furnish  us  an  unerring  rule,  and  we  must  judge  whether 
teachers  conform  to  it.  This  is  necessary  for  our  protec- 
tion against  deceivers.  "I  speak  as  to  wise  men,  judge 
ye  what  I  say."    1  Cor.  10,  15. 

But  not  onl}^  in  regard  to  the  doctrine  which  is 
preached  are  Christians  to  use  their  power  of  judging, 
testing  by  the  Scriptures  all  that  is  taught  as  the  Gospel, 
and  thus  abiding  in  the  truth  whicli  makes  them  free.  Ne- 
cessity is  often  laid  upon  them  to  judge  also  the  actions 
of  their  fellow  men.  When  one  makes  statements  which 
are  in  manifest  conflict  with  known  truth,  we  cannot  but 
judge  them  to  be  false;  and  when  one  openly  defrauds  or 
defames  his  neighbor,  we  cannot  but  judge  his  deeds  to 
be  evil. 

Both  Church  and  state  are  required  to  examine  and 
judge  when  accusations  are  made  against  members  and 
citizens,  and  the  duty  is  laid  upon  them  to  "judge  right- 
eous judgment."  If  a  brother  trespasses  and  will  not 
hear  the  admonitions  and  entreaties  made  in  private  to 
lead  him  to  repentance,  the  command  is  given  us  to 
"tell  it  unto  the  Church;  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the 
Church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  a  heathen  man  and  a 
publican,"  Matt.  18,  17.  The  Church  not  only  has  the 
right  to  judge  in  the  case,  but  has  evidently  the  duty 
laid  upon  it  in  the  interest  of  justice  to  the  accused  and 
of  the  welfare  of  the  souls  of  all  concerned.  Therefore 
St.  Paul  rebukes  tliose  who  would  carry  their  differences 
before  the  civil  magistrate  instead  of  settling  them  among 
themselves.  "If  then  ye  have  judgments  of  things  per- 
taining to  this  life,  set  them  to  judge  Who  are  least 
esteemed  in  the  Church.  I  speak  to  your  shame.  Is  it 
so  that  there  is  not  a  wise  man  among  you?  no,  not  one 


THE   WALK   IN   WISDOM.  251 

that  shall  be  able  to  judge  between  his  brethren?  But 
brother  goeth  to  law  with  brother,  and  that  before  unbe- 
lievers." 1  Cor.  6,  4-6.  But  as  not  all  men  are  believers 
there  must  be  civil  rulers  also,  and  they  can  discharge 
their  office  rightfully  only  when  they  are  able  and  willing 
to  judge  between  man  and  man.  They  must  decide  what 
can  justly  be  demanded  of  citizens,  and  when  charges 
of  wrong-doing  are  brought  against  any  of  these,  they 
must  judge  whether  the  accused  are  guilty,  rightfully 
holding  them  innocent  until  guilt  is  proved.  To  these 
higher  powers  we  must  needs  be  subject,  for  they  are  or- 
dained of  God. 

It  is  therefore  manifest  that  we  would  entirely  mis- 
understand our  Lord's  words  if  we  regarded  them  as  for- 
bidding all  judgment  with  regard  to  the  truth  or  falsity 
of  doctrines  proclaimed  to  the  world,  to  the  right  or 
wrong  of  actions  that  become  publicly  known,  or  to  the 
guilt  or  innocence  of  persons  against  whom  charges  are 
brought;  for  this  would  contradict  plain  words  of  Scrip- 
ture. 

What  then  is  the  import  of  our  Lord's  words,  "judge 
not?"  There  are  two  things  plainly  taught  us  in  the 
Scriptures  which  will  serve  to  lead  us  to  the  right  an- 
swer. One  is  that  the  final  judge  of  all  is  God  alone,  and 
that  consequently  man  has  no  power  and  no  right  to 
judge  of  matters  that  pertain  to  the  final  judgment  and 
the  eternal  testing  of  the  judged,  except  so  far  as  God 
has  declared  His  judgment  in  His  revealed  Word.  The 
other  is  that,  as  we  cannot  see  into  men's  hearts  and  are 
therefore  incapable  of  reliable  judgments  as  to  the  true 
spiritual  condition  of  man,  we  never  could,  without  usurp- 
ing the  prerogative  of  God,  judge  men's  hearts. 

We  may  condemn  what  God  condemns  in  the  Scrip- 
tures. These  are  written  for  our  learning,  and  the  Spirit 
of  God  brings  our  souls  into  harmony  with  the  will  of 
God,   so  that  we   adopt   the  judgment  which   He  pro- 


252  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

nounces.  What  conflicts  with  the  truth  which  He  has 
revealed  we  cannot  but  declare  to  be  false,  and  what 
violates  His  commandments  we  cannot  but  pronounce 
sin,  because  the  judgment  of  God  has  been  made  known 
to  us  in  the  premises,  and  as  believing  and  obedient 
children  we  cordially  adopt  the  judgment.  We  therefore 
unhesitatingly  judge  that  he  who  "abideth  not  in  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ  hath  not  God,"  and  that  "if  a  man  say, 
I  love  God,  and  hateth  his  brother,  he  is  a  liar."  But 
we  cannot  judge  a  doctrine  to  be  false  when  it  is  not 
contrary  to  the  Gospel,  and  we  cannot  judge  an  act  to  be 
sin  when  it  is  not  in  violation  of  the  Divine  Law.  The 
reason  is  that  God  alone  is  Supreme  Ruler  and  judge,  and 
that  no  creature  can  have  the  power  to  determine  what 
shall  be  the  rule  according  to  which  souls  are  to  be  gov- 
erned, and  what  is  to  be  the  decision  in  the  final  judg- 
ment. We  must  not  presume  to  dictate  to  God  what  His 
judgment  shall  be  on  the  last  day,  when  the  eternal  des- 
tiny of  all  men  is  decided.  "He  that  rejecteth  me,  and 
receiveth  not  my  words,  hath  one  that  judgeth  him:  the 
word  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him  on  the 
last  day."  John  12,  48.  It  is  always  the  arrogance  of  sin 
when  men  teach  otherwise  than  God's  Word  teaches, 
then  proceed  to  pronounce  judgment  upon  others,  because 
they  will  not  agree.  Only  God's  judgment  is  decisive. 
Judge  not,  but  leave  the  judgment  to  Him  who  alone  has 
authority  and  who  judges  righteous  judgment. 

But  in  applying  the  Word  of  God  as  the  standard 
of  all  right  judgment  in  spiritual  and  eternal  things,  our 
inability  to  read  the  hearts  of  others  must  not  be  over- 
looked. We  can  know  that  men  err  when  their  teaching 
is  in  conflict  with  what  God  teaches  us  in  the  Scriptures, 
and  we  can  know  that  they  sin  when  they  transgress  the 
holy  law.  But  we  cannot  know  whether  the  words 
spoken  and  the  deeds  done  are  the  utterances  of  conscious 
rebellion  against  God  and   His  Word,   or  are  mistakes 


THE   WALK    IN    WISDOM.  253 

that  are  made  without  malice  or  even  with  good  inten- 
tion. There  is  many  a  slip  of  the  tongue,  or  of  the  hand 
or  foot,  which  is  in  conflict  with  the  divine  law,  but  which 
does  not  proceed  from  a  wicked  will.  We  cannot  know 
this,  unless  the  sin  be  of  such  a  nature  that  it  could  not 
be  committed  without  a  repudiation  of  God's  Word.  We 
cannot  see  the  condition  of  the  heart,  and  we  sin  when 
we  pronounce  judgment  of  condemnation  on  a  person 
who  is  overtaken  in  a  fault,  without  knowing  whether 
he  is  inwardly  guiltj-  of  deatli.  In  many  cases  the  of- 
fender needs  only  to  be  shown  his  faults  and  repents 
when  he  sees  it,  having  no  design  or  desire  to  depart 
from  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  or  to  violate  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  law.  Be  charitable  to  your  brethren,  and  do 
not  by  a  rasli  judgment  condemn  them  before  you  know 
them  to  be  impenitent  sinners  whom  the  Lord  condemns. 
Judge  not,  and  ye  shall  not  be  judged.  "Bretliren,  if  a 
man  be  overtaken  in  a  fault,  ye  which  are  spiritual  re- 
store such  a  one  in  the  spirit  of  meekness,  considering 
thyself,  lest  thou  also  be  tempted.  Bear  ye  one  another's 
burdens,  and  so  fulfill  the  law  of  Christ."  Gal.  6,  1.  2. 
The  wisdom  that  is  from  above,  guided  by  the  love  which 
always  accompanies  it,  will  not  cease  to  own  a  brother 
as  long  as  the  hope  may  justly  be  entertained  that  in  his 
heart  he  is  a  brother  still,  notwithstanding  his  faulty 
word  or  deed.  All  Christians  need  the  exhortation  to 
watch  and  pray  that  they  may  not  in  uncharitableness 
sin  against  tlieir  erring  brethren,  remembering  that  they 
live  only  by  the  mercy  of  God,  and  that  they  endanger 
their  own  souls  by  departing  from  that  mercy.  "For 
with  what  measure  ye  mete  it  shall  be  measured  to  you 
again," 

Such  uncharitableness  leads  to  false  judgments  and 
sinful  actions  in  other  respects.  It  is  a  beam  in  the  eye, 
which  disqualifies  a  person  for  rendering  the  assistance 
to  his  neighbor  which  love  requires  and  only  love  can 


254  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

properly  execute.  It  dims  and  distorts  the  moral  vision. 
The  mote  in  a  brother's  eye  may  have  only  an  imaginary 
existence,  located  there  by  the  evil  suspicions  of  the  un- 
charitable observer  who  judges  unrighteous  judgment.  Or 
if  there  is  really  a  mote  there,  such  an  observer,  having 
a  beam  in  his  own  eye,  is  least  capable  of  removing  it. 
Lacking  clear  vision  he  wrongs  his  brother  by  magnifying 
the  mote  discovered  in  his  eye.  He  gives  offense  by  his 
false  imputations,  and  thus  excludes  any  influence  for 
good  that  he  might  otherwise  exert.  His  hypocrisy  is 
manifest,  and  it  makes  him  incompetent  to  help  another 
to  a  better  life.  "Thou  hypocrite,  first  cast  the  beam  out 
of  thine  own  eye,  and  then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to 
cast  out  the  mote  out  of  thy  brother's  eye."  The  lesson 
is  of  wide  application  in  the  life  of  individuals  as  well 
as  in  the  discipline  of  the  church.  Uncharitableness  in 
judging  others  cripples  all  pretended  efforts  to  promote 
holy  living  and  zealous  work  for  the  Master.  The  power 
to  benefit  them  is  lost  when  they  perceive  that  faults  are 
imputed  to  them  of  which  they  are  conscious  of  being 
innocent,  and  that  those  which  they  are  ready  to  acknowl- 
edge are  exaggerated.  A  spirit  is  thus  manifested  which 
destroys  confidence.  And  the  evil  is  especially  deplorable 
when  brother  falsely  accuses  brother  and  starts  a  process 
of  church  discipline  with  a  violation  of  the  fundamental 
law  of  love.  Christians  are  not  to  be  silent  when  a 
brother  sins,  as  if  it  did  not  concern  them,  or  as  if  it 
would  be  better  to  let  him  go  on  and  perish  in  his  sin 
than  to  incur  the  risk  of  disturbing  the  existing  pleasant 
relation  by  endeavoring  to  correct  his  fault.  Our  Lord's 
command  is:  "If  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against  thee, 
go  and  tell  him  his  fault  between  thee  and  him  alone;  if 
he  shall  liear  thee,  thou  hast  gained  thy  brother."  Matt. 
18,  15.  He  may  refuse  to  hear,  and  the"  case  may  finally 
have  to  be  brought  before  the  congregation  and  may  ter- 
minate in  his  expulsion  from  it,  as  an  offender  who  re- 


THE   WALK   IN   WISDOM.  255 

fuses  submission  to  the  Word  of  God  and  thus  forfeits 
all  rights  of  Christian  fellowship.  But  it  must  not  be 
the  fault  of  the  person  against  whom  the  trespass  was 
committed  and  who  was  obligated  if  possible  to  gain  his 
brother.  Every  precaution  that  love  can  suggest  must 
be  taken  to  prevent  the  excitement  of  carnal  feelings  that 
would  be  a  hindrance  to  success  in  affecting  such  gain. 
The  effort  must  be  strictly  private,  unless  the  offender 
himself  insists  on  a  course  that  compels  publicity.  "Tell 
him  his  fault  between  thee  and  hiiii  alone/'  is  a  rule  de- 
signed to  preserve  his  good  name  and  standing.  The 
public  is  to  know  nothing  about  it  unless  all  the  advances 
of  love  are  repulsed.  "Ye  which  are  spiritual  restore 
such  a  one  in  the  spirit  of  meekness,  considering  thyself 
lest  thou  also  be  tempted."  Gal.  6,  1.  The  man  who  has 
the  beam  of  uncharitableness  in  his  own  eye  has  not  the 
spirit  of  meekness  necessary  to  gain  his  brother.  Only 
those  who  are  spiritual  can  effectually  appeal  to  an  erring 
brother's  conscience  without  awakening  in  him  the  re- 
pellant  feeling  that  an  attempt  is  made  to  triumph  over 
him.  The  sincere  Christian  is  mindful  of  his  own  weak- 
ness and  liability  to  be  tempted,  and  has  no  desire  to  be 
regarded  as  the  offender's  superior,  knowing  that  only 
the  grace  of  God  sust^iins  him  and  that  he  has  nothing  of 
which  to  boast.  He  wishes  neither  to  liumiliate  his 
brother  nor  to  exalt  himself.  Love  is  always  tender  in 
its  treatment  of  those  who  are  overtaken  in  a  fault,  hop- 
ing that  they  will  repent  of  their  wrong-doing  as  long 
as  they  do  not  themselves  remove  all  reasonable  ground 
of  such  hope  by  their  refusal  to  hear  the  word  of  the 
Lord  and  their  persistence  in  the  sin  w^hich  thus 
tlireatens  their  destruction. 

2.  This  does  not  imply  that  spiritual  wisdom  will 
never  use  severity,  or  cease  to  use  soft  words  and  con- 
ciliatory measures  in  dealing  with  those  that  sin.  In  the 
instructions  which  Christ  gives  for  the  exercise  of  church 


256  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

discipline  He  tells  us  that  those  who  will  not  hear  when 
they  are  privately  admonished  in  the  spirit  of  meekness 
with  a  view  to  their  restoration,  and  still  refuse  to  hear 
when  this  is  repeated  before  witnesses  and  again  before 
the  church,  must  finally  be  regarded  as  heathen  men  and 
publicans  whom  we  must  cease  to  fellowship.  If  they 
will  not  renounce  their  sin,  the  faithful  disciples  of  Christ 
must  renounce  them.  It  is  this  principle  that  Christ 
expresses  in  the  words:  "Give  not  that  which  is  holy 
unto  the  dogs,  neither  cast  ye  your  pearls  before  swine, 
lest  they  trample  them  under  their  feet  and  turn  again 
and  rend  you."  There  are  people  who  are  as  savage  as 
dogs  and  as  filthy  as  swine,  and  who,  when  the  pearls  of 
the  Gospel  are  spread  before  them,  trample  them  under 
their  feet  and  persecute  those  who  brought  them.  Hence 
the  command  was  given  to  the  apostle :  "Whosoever  shall 
not  receive  you  nor  hear  your  words,  when  ye  depart  out 
of  that  house  or  city  shake  off  the  dust  of  your  feet. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you.  It  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  the 
land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  in  the  day  of  judgment 
than  for  that  city."  Matt.  10,  14.  15.  That  injunction  was 
strictly  observed  by  the  ambassadors  of  Christ,  as  we 
read  in  Acts  13,  45.  46 :  "When  the  Jews  saw  the  multi- 
tudes they  were  filled  with  envy,  and  spake  against  those 
things  which  were  spoken  by  Paul,  contradicting  and 
blaspheming.  Then  Paul  and  Barnabas  waxed  bold  and 
said,  It  was  necessary  that  the  Word  of  God  should  first 
have  been  spoken  unto  you,  but  seeing  that  ye  put  it  from 
you  and  judge  yourselves  unworthy  of  everlasting  life, 
lo,  we  turn  to  the  Gentiles."  The  apostle  expresses  the 
same  principle  in  his  instructions  to  Titus :  "A  man  that 
is  a  heretic  after  the  first  and  second  admonition  reject, 
knowing  that  he  that  is  such  is  subverted  and  sinneth, 
being  condemned  of  himself."     Tit.  3,  10.'  11. 

The  rule  thus  laid  down  is  one  not  only  of  wisdom, 
but  also  of  righteousness.     It  might  not  seem  prudent  to 


THE   WALK   IN    WISDOM.  257 

rebuke  sharply,  or  to  condemn  and  turn  away  from  those 
who  treat  the  Word  of  God  with  scorn  when  it  is  offered 
them,  because  seemingly  that  would  block  all  further 
efforts  to  convert  them.  But  when  that  stage  of  resist- 
ance to  the  Word  of  God  is  reached,  in  which  the  sinner 
is  resolved  not  to  hear  or  heed  it,  a  wrong  is  done  when 
any  further  attempts  are  made  to  enforce  it.  He  must  not 
be  coerced,  supposing  this  possible,  and  he  must  not  by 
trickery  be  apparently  won  for  that  which  he  scorns.  He 
can  have  access  to  God  in  no  other  way  than  by  faith  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  therefore  only  false  prophets 
could  ostc'iisibly  lead  him  into  tlie  kingdom  of  God  in 
spite  of  his  declaration  that  he  does  not  believe  in  Christ, 
and  has  no  use  for  that  which  is  preached  in  His  name 
as  the  eternal  truth  of  God.  If  such  a  person  were  lured 
or  inveigled  into  the  church,  an  element  of  trouble  would 
be  introduced  and  the  salvation  of  many  souls  im- 
periled, without  bringing  the  supposititious  convert  any 
nearer  to  the  Savior.  When  a  man  not  only  persistently 
declines  to  accept  the  truth  in  Jesus,  but  declares  himself 
unwilling  to  be  further  molested  by  its  preachers,  all 
devices  and  schemes  to  gain  his  influence  for  a  cause 
whic]i  lie  despises  are  a  delusion  that  exert  a  deadly 
power.  And  a  personal  wrong  is  done  to  the  recalcitrant 
scorner  by  persisting  in  attempts  to  bring  him  unto  the 
Lord's  fold,  when  he  has  declared  his  unwillingness  to  en- 
ter it,  or  to  heed  any  more  appeals  looking  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  this  end.  It  is  virtually  a  persecution  of 
the  determined  enemy  of  the  cross  of  Christ.  For  in  the 
economy  of  salvation  respect  is  had  for  the  original  en- 
dowment of  man  with  a  personal  will  of  his  own.  If  he 
were  wise  he  would  submit  this  will  to  the  will  of  his 
Maker,  because  only  thus  can  he  attain  the  end  of  his  cre- 
ation and  be  happy  here  and  hereafter.  But  he  must 
not  be  forced  into  the  kingdom,  and  having  resisted  the 
call  of  God  and  refused  to  hear  it  any  further,  he  has 

17 


258  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

a  right  to  be  let  alone.  The  grace  of  our  Lord  compels  no 
one:  the  truth  makes  us  free  from  the  bondage  in  which 
sin  holds  the  soul,  but  its  work  would  be  suicidal  if  it  de- 
signed to  secure  liberty  by  denying  its  rights  and  ulti- 
mately crushing  the  will.  The  unbeliever's  human  right 
to  choose  must  be  respected,  much  as  the  Christian 
teacher  deplores  the  unhappy  choice  which  is  made  in 
the  rejection  of  the  Gospel.  On  the  other  hand,  believers 
have  the  right  and  the  duty  to  take  cognizance  of  the 
facts  as  they  exist,  and  accordingly  to  turn  away  from 
the  stubborn  unbelievers  who  act  like  dogs  and  swine, 
preferring  their  beastliness  and  filth  to  the  heavenly  life 
and  happiness  of  the  children  of  God.  That  which  is 
holy  must  not  be  given  to  the  dogs  and  pearls  must  not 
be  cast  before  swine. 

Much  injury  is  done  to  the  Church  by  the  failure  of 
Christian  people,  and  especially  of  pastors,  to  obey  these 
instructions  of  our  Lord.  Some  think  themselves  wiser 
and  more  charitable  than  their  divine  Master,  and  accord- 
ingly deem  sharp  rebuke  and  refusal  to  fellowship  incon- 
sistent with  the  love  which  is  due  to  our  fellowmen.  Their 
thought  is  that  differences  in  regard  to  faith  should  be 
treated  in  the  same  way  as  differences  on  secular  subjects, 
that  have  no  bearing  on  the  spiritual  life  and  that  are  to 
be  decided  by  human  reason.  The  religious  convictions 
which  inwardly  separate  men  do  not  necessarily  require 
separation  in  matters  that  are  not  religious.  We  can  be 
citizens  of  the  same  country,  and  do  business  and  join  in 
social  functions  with  each  other,  notwithstanding  our  re- 
ligious differences.  We  can  plant  and  reap,  buy  and  sell, 
work  and  play  together,  though  our  beliefs  in  regard  to 
revealed  truth  be  not  the  same.  For  the  purposes  of  social 
intercourse  there  is  no  necessity  for  making  inquiries 
into  the  religion  of  the  person  concerned,  except  so  far 
as  this  may  be  implied  in  the  warning  that  "evil  communi- 
cations corrupt  good  manners."    But  in  matters  of  Chris- 


THE   WALK   IN   WISDOM.  259 

tian  fellowship  in  the  Church  the  confession  of  the  pure 
faith  of  the  Gospel  is  paramount,  and  the  rejection  of 
Christ  and  His  Gospel  is  necessarily  a  bar  to  fellowship. 
We  may  live  in  the  same  civil  community  with  them  and 
be  good  neighbors,  but  we  cannot  commune  with  each 
other  in  the  same  church  when  we  are  not  of  the  same 
mind  in  regard  to  the  faith  whose  confession  forms  the 
very  gi'ound  of  our  association  as  a  church.  "Be  ye  not 
unequally  yoked  together  with  unbelievers;  for  what  fel- 
lowship hath  righteousness  with  unrighteousness?  And 
^\hat  communion  hath  light  with  darkness?  And  what 
concord  hath  Christ  with  Belial?  or  what  part  hath  he  that 
believeth  with  an  infidel.  And  what  agreement  hath  the 
temple  of  God  with  idols?  for  ye  are  the  temple  of  the  liv- 
ing God ;  as  God  hath  said,  I  will  dwell  in  them  and  walk 
in  them,  and  I  will  be  their  God  and  they  shall  be  my 
people.  Wherefore  come  out  from  among  them,  and  be  ye 
separate,  saith  the  Lord,  and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing; 
and  I  will  receive  you.     2  Cor.  6,  14-17. 

3.  In  his  endeavors  to  gain  erring  brethren  and  in 
his  refusal  to  have  religious  association  with  those  who 
reject  the  truth  in  Jesus  and  become  manifest  as  dogs 
and  swine,  the  Christian  daily  needs  the  sustaining  grace 
of  his  Lord,  as  he  does  in  ever}'^  duty  and  every  trial,  and 
his  recourse  will  be  to  prayer  for  help.  He  does  not  walk 
wisely  if  he  neglects  this;  and  Christ  instructs  us  and  en- 
courages us  in  its  use.  "Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you; 
seek,  and  ye  shall  find;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto 
you.  For  every  one  that  asketh  receiveth;  and  he  that 
seeketh  findeth,  and  to  liim  that  knocketh  it  shall  opened. 
Or  what  man  is  there  of  you,  whom  if  his  son  ask  bread, 
will  he  give  him  a  stone?  Or,  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  give 
liim  a  serpent?  If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give 
good  gifts  unto  your  cliildren,  how  much  more  will  your 
Father  which  is  in  heaven  give  good  gifts  to  them  that 
xisk  Him?" 


260  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

The  subject  of  prayer  had  already  been  presented  in 
an  earlier  portion  of  Christ's  sermon.  The  Pharisaic 
abuses  connected  with  it  had  been  rebuked  and  warned 
against,  and  the  beautiful  Lord's  Prayer  had  been  given 
as  a  model  for  our  guidance.  The  need  and  habitual 
practice  of  prayer  was  there  presupposed.  Now  the  duty 
and  privilege  is  urged  as  an  inner  necessity  for  the  supply 
of  our  ever  recurring  v\^ants,  which  are  felt  the  more  deeply 
the  longer  our  conflict  with  the  devil  and  the  world  and 
the  flesh  continues.  Without  Christ  we  can  do  nothing. 
The  Holy  Spirit  has  made  us  conscious  of  our  disability 
and  helplessness,  and  has  enabled  us  by  faith  to  flee  for 
refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  us  in  the  Gospel.  He  has 
made  us  recipients  of  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
and  the  great  salvation  which  it  conveys.  But  this  very- 
grace  has  made  it  more  and  more  plain  to  us  that  of  our- 
selves we  can  do  nothing,  and  that  our  help  is  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord.  Therefore  he  constantly  uses  the  means  of 
grace,  through  which  his  spiritual  life  is  daily  renewed 
and  his  faith  replenished,  and  he  keeps  in  close  com- 
munion with  His  gracious  Lord  in  earnest  prayer,  in 
which  he  continues  without  ceasing.  The  true  Christian 
cannot  live  without  it,  because  God  is  his  refuge  and 
strength ;  and  he  would  not  know  whither  to  flee  or  where 
to  find  help  if  he  were  not  sure  that  God  will  hear  him 
when  he  cries  and  help  him  w  hen  he  calls.  "As  the  hart 
panteth  after  water  brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after 
Thee,  O  God."   Ps.  42,  1. 

The  blessedness  of  prayer  has  not  been  realized  and 
duly  appreciated  as  long  as  it  is  regarded  only  as  a  com- 
mand to  be  obeyed  and  a  duty  to  be  performed.  It  cer- 
tainly is  this;  but  contemplating  it  only  as  such  leads  to 
the  Pharisaic  formalism  and  hollowness  which  make  our 
prayers  mere  works  of  the  law  and  deprive  us  of  its  bless- 
ing. Prayers  that  are  offered  from  fear  of  punishment 
for  disobeying  the  command,  or  from  the  mercenary  hope 


THE    WALK    IN    WISDOM.  261 

of  reward  for  the  obedience  imagined  to  be  meritorious, 
are  not  such  as  Christ  commands  and  obtain  tlie  promise. 
They  with  their  erring  notions  have  no  place  in  truly  be- 
lieving hearts.  These  long  for  communion  with  God, 
who  is  their  comfort  and  joy  and  a  very  present  help  in 
trouble.  Their  great  motive  to  prayer  is  their  access  to 
God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  has  called  them  into 
His  kingdom  and  promised  to  hear  their  prayers,  who  is 
able  and  always  willing  to  bestow  grace  and  every  bless- 
ing to  all  that  ask  in  faith,  and  who  will  in  no  wise  cast 
out  the  helpless  and  forsaken.  "Because  He  hath  in- 
clined His  ear  unto  me,  therefore  will  I  call  upon  Him  as 
long  as  I  live."     Ps.  116,  2. 

We  do  not  mean  to  say  that  all  true  believers  are  at 
all  times  fervent  in  spirit  and  instant  in  prayer,  and  that 
they  never  become  languid  and  cold  in  their  devotion  and 
zeal.  All  Christian  experience  refutes  such  a  claim.  The 
admonitions  given  in  the  words  under  consideration  sliow 
that  such  are  needed,  and  they  are  designed  to  encourage 
us  in  the  use  of  our  privilege.  All  believers  have  the  flesh 
to  contend  against  in  this  as  in  every  other  activity  of 
the  spiritual  life;  and  all  have  seasons  of  depression  when 
they  are  disinclined  to  converse  with  God  and  when,  if  they 
do  overcome  the  resistence  of  the  flesh,  their  prayers  lack 
fervency.  It  is  well  in  such  cases  to  remember  our  duty 
and  to  insist  that  it  shall  be  done,  in  spite  of  the  repug- 
nancy of  the  sin  that  is  still  in  us  and  that  lusts  against  the 
Spirit.  The  prayer  will  then  be  wanting  in  an  element 
which  properly  belongs  to  it ;  but  it  will  be  a  great  benefit 
to  the  Christian  that  he  has  maintained  his  ground  as  a 
child  of  God,  though  imperfectly.  His  resistance  of  sin 
and  Satan  will  induce  the  enemy  to  flee  from  him,  and 
his  prayer  will  again  become  fervent.  "Submit  your- 
selves therefore  to  God.  Kesist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee 
from  you.  Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  He  will  draw  nigh 
to  you."    Jas.  4,  7.  8.    What  we  desire  to  point  out  and  to 


262  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

impress  upon  the  readers'  minds  is  the  important  lesson,, 
that  the  Christian  life  is  one  of  communion  with  God  and 
that  it  involves  the  need  and  desire  of  prayer,  so  that 
faith  in  Christ  unto  salvation  cannot  exist  in  conscious 
souls  without  feeling  the  need  of  seeking  God's  help  and 
believing  that  it  will  be  granted  when  our  requests  are 
made  known  to  Him.  A  believer  does  not  at  once  cease  to 
be  such  when  times  of  coldness  and  languor  set  in  and 
prayer  becomes  a  burden  instead  of  a  glorious  privilege. 
No  doubt  it  must  be  said  of  some  true  Christians,  not  only 
of  hypocrites :  "Ye  have  not,  because  ye  ask  not ;  ye  ask, 
and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  amiss."  Jas.  4,  2.  3. 
But  that  is  in  seasons  of  trial  and  temptation;  and  such 
a  condition  could  not  become  permanent  without  involv- 
ing the  fall  from  grace,  and  must  therefore  emphasize  to 
our  minds  the  admonition  to  stand  fast  that  no  man  take 
our  crown.  The  grace  of  God  will  be  sufficient  for  us,  if 
we  only  trust  in  Jesus,  through  whom  the  victory  is  as- 
sured to  faith.  But  "let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth 
take  heed  lest  he  fall." 

The  privilege  and  the  promise  of  prayer  are  depend- 
ent on  the  atonement  and  mediation  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  This  must  not  be  overlooked.  Without  Him  we 
could  not  be  permitted  to  approach  God's  holy  throne, 
nor  could  our  hearts  be  fitted  to  offer  acceptable  prayers. 
"Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  by  whom  also  we  have  access  by 
faith  into  this  grace  wherein  we  stand,  and  rejoice  in  the 
hope  of  the  glory  of  God."  Rom.  5,  1.  2.  The  promise 
that  we  shall  be  heard  is  given  to  them  that  believe.  No 
assurance  is  given  us  that  when  we  ask  for  gifts  which 
we  design  to  spend  upon  our  lusts,  we  shall  receive  them. 
Granting  such  a  prayer  would  be  no  blessing.  But  so 
ample  are  the  promises  that  some  limitation  is  expected, 
and  surprise  is  sometimes  felt  that  none  is  expressed  in 
immediate  connection  with  them.     "Ask  and  ye  shall  re- 


THE   WALK   IN    WISDOM.  263 

ceive."  No  condition  is  appended,  no  reservation  is  made. 
But  it  is  the  children  of  God  who  are  exhorted  to  pray, 
and  to  whom  the  promise  is  given  that  thev  shall  receive. 
These  are  the  believers  in  Christ.  "As  many  as  received 
Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God, 
even  to  them  that  believe  on  His  name."  John  1,  12. 
"For  ye  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ 
Jesus."  Gal.  3,  26.  That  the  promise  is  given  to  believers 
is  frequently  expressed,  and  is  always  implied  when  not 
explicitly  stated,  because  there  is  no  other  name  by  which 
we  could  have  access  to  God  and  obtain  spiritual  blessings 
but  that  of  the  one  Mediator  between  God  and  man,  the 
man  Christ  Jesus.  "All  things  whatsoever  ye  ask,  believ- 
ing, ye  shall  receive."  Matt.  21,  22.  "Verily,  verily  I 
sa}^  unto  you,  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  My 
name  He  will  give  it  you."  John  16,  23.  "The  effectual 
fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much."  James 
5,  16,  This  makes  it  clear  also  why  the  Christian  can  pray 
with  full  confidence  of  being  heard,  without  being  disturbed 
by  the  doubts  and  dififlculties  which  reason  interposes. 
The  Holy  Spirit  has  bronglit  the  believing  heart  into  har- 
mony with  the  mind  of  Christ  and  directs  it  by  His  Word, 
so  that  he  has  consciously  no  will  that  contravenes  the 
will  of  God,  and  always  purposes  that  the  will  of  God 
should  be  done,  though  his  words  should  occasionally 
include  particulars  which  the  wisdom  and  mercy  of  God 
interprets  and  apparently  eliminates.  Thus  it  may  seem 
that  a  prayer  is  not  heard  when  in  fact  it  is  granted  in 
fuller  measure  than  we  conceived  it,  although  in  a  differ- 
ent form.  We  should  therefore  banish  from  our  minds  all 
thoughts  of  modifying  the  words  of  Jesus  and  accepting 
them  only  with  allowance  for  their  supposed  exaggeration. 
This  would  be  heeding  the  suggestions  of  the  flesh  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  Spirit,  and  depriving  ourselves  of  much  of 
the  encouragement  given  to  perseverance  in  prayer  and  of 
the  comfort  which  the  constant  exercise  of  the  privilege 


264  THE   SERMON   ON   THE   MOUNT. 

gives.  Earthly  fathers  give  their  children  the  bread  for 
which  they  ask,  not  in  mockery  substituting  a  stone  for 
it,  or  giving  a  serpent  for  the  fish  desired.  "If  ye  then, 
being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  your  children, 
how  much  more  shall  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  give 
good  things  to  them  that  ask  Him?"  Christians  would 
not  walk  wisely  if  they  neglected  the  admonition  to  ask, 
that  they  might  receive  the  good  things  promised  and  so 
much  needed;  and  they  just  as  certainly  would  not  do 
wisely  if,  trusting  in  themselves  and  having  no  spiritual 
blessings  because  they  ask  not,  they  withheld  from  the 
Giver  of  all  good  the  honor  which  is  due.  "Now  unto  Him 
that  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we 
ask  or  think,  according  to  the  power  that  v\'orketh  in  us, 
unto  Him  be  glory  in  the  Church  by  Christ  Jesus,  through- 
out all  ages,  world  without  end.  Amen."  Eph.  3,  20.  21. 
Having  entered  the  kingdom  of  God  and  embraced  His 
righteousness  which  is  by  faith,  the  child  of  God  seeks 
not  earthly  things,  which  pass  awa^^,  but  those  things 
which  are  above,  where  Christ  sitteth  on  the  right  hand 
of  God.  That  will  lead  him  to  be  a  true  servant  of  the 
Lord  and  a  blessing  to  his  fellowmen.  While  he  walks 
humbly  before  Gocl  and  strives  to  perform  faithfully  the 
duties  of  his  calling,  his  labor  of  love  will  praise  the 
Master  and  profit  his  neighbor.  The  faith  which  clings 
to  the  Savior  is  confessed  before  men  for  the  glory  of  His 
name,  and  the  love  by  which  it  works  for  the  welfare  of 
others  render  him  useful  here  on  earth,  and  while  he 
thus  looks  to  the  saving  of  his  soul  he  is  a  light  for  the 
world  that  leads  to  the  salvation  of  others  for  whom 
Christ  died.  Thus  he  administers  wisely  the  gifts  com- 
mitted to  him,  according  to  the  apostle's  admonition : 
"See  then  that  ye  walk  circumspectly,  not  as  fools,  but 
as  wise,  redeeming  the  time,  because  the  days  are  evil. 
Therefore  be  ye  not  unwise,  but  understanding  what  the 
will  of  the  Lord  is."    Eph.  5,  15-17. 


SECTION  xni. 

The  Golden  Rwle. 

(Matthew  7,  12.) 

**^y^HEREVOllE  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that 
^L,  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them ;  for 
this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets." 
This  is  generally  called  the  golden  rule,  which  all 
the  world  admires.  Even  those  who  do  not  appreciate 
Christianity  in  its  spiritual  power  unto  salvation,  find  it 
worthy  of  all  acceptation  and  commend  it  as  a  clear  and 
compact  guide  for  all  who  desire  to  lead  an  upright  life. 
Some  have  indeed  endeavored  to  show  that  the  golden 
rule  is  not  peculiar  to  the  Christian  religion  and  did  not 
originate  in  the  teaching  of  Christ.  Whether  this  was 
done  to  disparage  Christianity  and  deprive  it  of  the 
glory  which  is  presumed  to  be  reflected  by  the  rule  upon 
the  Church,  it  is  not  important  to  inquire.  The  sermon 
on  the  mount  unquestionably  sets  it  in  a  light  which 
neither  Judaism  nor  Paganism  could  shed  upon  it,  and 
which  gives  it  a  distinctively  Christian  character,  though 
it  is  not  this  which  has  elicited  all  the  world's  admira- 
tion. In  a  negative  form,  that  we  should  not  do  to  others 
what  we  would  not  have  them  do  us,  the  rule  was  enun- 
ciated before  the  Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among 
us;  but  that  form,  which  implies  the  existence  of  sin  in 
the  human  soul  and  the  possibility  of  resisting  its  im- 
pulse to  action  and  of  preventing  the  evil  deed,  is  far 
different  from  the  positive  form  which  our  Lord  gives  it, 
and  which  presupposes  righteous  motives  issuing  in  right- 
eous acts.  It  is  this  positive  character  given  it  in  Christ's 
teaching  that  makes  it  really  the  golden  rule  which  Chris- 
tianity sets  forth  and  which  no  other  religion  has  incul- 

265 


266  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

cated.  It  presents  a  practical  test  for  the  exercise  of 
the  love  which  is  the  fulflllmeiit  of  the  law,  and  to  which 
the  teachings  of  the  prophets  lead,  both  as  to  what  is  to 
be  done  and  as  to  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  to  be  done  in 
order  to  please  God.  But  it  is  important  to  remark  that, 
while  it  is  a  compact  rule  for  the  application  of  the  inner 
Christian  life  to  the  external  conduct,  it  does  not  furnish 
that  life  and  does  not  make  us  Christians  and  qualify  us 
for  its  right  application.  Our  Lord's  words  added  to  the 
rule,  "for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets,"  should  be  to 
us  a  safeguard  against  the  superficial  interpretations 
which  are  so  much  in  vogue,  but  which  tend  to  render 
it  nugatory  as  a  moral  guide  according  to  the  mind  of 
Christ. 

The  frequent  appeals  made  to  the  golden  rule  in  the 
interest  of  naturalistic  humanitarianism,  as  if  it  present- 
ed to  human  reason  a  norm  of  right  conduct  under  all 
conditions  and  circumstances,  and  as  if  compliance  with 
it  constituted  the  essence  of  all  Christian  life,  show 
the  necessity  of  a  closer  and  more  mature  consideration 
of  its  import.  Prevailing  errors  on  the  subject  are  mis- 
leading and  mischievous.  Or  is  it  really  so  that  Christ 
meant  everybody,  saint  and  sinner,  devout  people  and 
lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort,  to  be  a  supreme  law  unto 
himself,  so  that  whatever  he  wants  done  to  himself  must 
therefore  be  right,  and  accordingly  a  safe  guide  to  right 
in  his  conduct  toward  others?  Let  us  endeavor  to  un- 
derstand the  rule  with  its  implications  in  the  light  of 
Christ's  teaching. 

We  should  love  our  neighbors  as  ourselves.  Put 
yourself  in  his  place,  then  decide  what  you  would  do 
towards  your  neighbor  in  any  given  case.  The  rule  seems 
simple  and  of  easy  application.  You  love  yourself,  and 
therefore  wish  yourself  no  ill,  but  every  good.  Love  your 
neighbor  in  the  same  way  and  therefore  entertain  the 
same  good  wishes  toward  him.     Love  worketh  no  ill  to 


THE    GOLDEN    RULE.  267 

his  neighbor,  but  always  seeks  his  welfare.  That  is  what 
you  should  do,  and  if  you  follow  the  golden  rule,  that  is 
what  you  will  do.  Your  acts  will  correspond  to  your 
sentiment,  and  if  you  love  your  neighbor  as  yourself,  the 
regulative  will  be  love.  It  all  seems  simple  and  easy  as 
a  rule  determining  right  conduct  towards  our  fellow 
men.  That  which  in  our  love  for  ourselves  we  wish 
others  to  do  to  us,  that  is  the  thing  which  in  our  equal 
love  for  others  we  are  to  do  to  them.  It  is  the  Christian's 
ideal:  perfect  love  to  God  and  man,  which  is  the  fulfill- 
ing of  the  law  in  the  bond  of  perfectness.  It  works  all 
right  when  the  right  conditions  exist.  The  man  who  has 
the  same  mind  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus  finds  no 
difficulty  in  deciding  what  he  ought  to  do  under  any  cir- 
cumstances: show  them  the  same  love  which  you  would 
have  them  show  in  their  conduct  towards  you.  It  is  a 
good  rule  of  Christian  life  in  our  intercourse  with  our  fel- 
low men,  sendng  as  a  directory  for  the  exercise  of  Chris- 
tian wisdom  in  cases  of  diificulty  that  may  arise. 

We  have  not  said,  and  do  not  mean,  that  the  Chris- 
tian ideal  presented  in  the  golden  rule  is  always  realized  in 
the  conduct  of  Christian  believers.  They  do  possess  a  love 
which  they  have  not  by  nature,  and  their  faith  worketh 
by  that  love.  But  this  does  not  imply  that  the  sin  which 
has  corrupted  all  human  nature  has  been  entirely  erad- 
icated, and  that  the  selfishness  of  sin  no  longer  effects 
them  when  they  by  faith  have  put  on  Christ.  They  are 
sinners  whose  sin  is  forgiven,  and  who,  being  justified 
by  faith,  have  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  They  are  therefore  not,  as  some  misconceive  or 
imagine  to  their  own  injury,  people  whose  nature  has  be- 
come sinless  and  who  in  consequence  of  this  inherent 
holiness  lead  perfectly  sinless  lives  instinctively,  with  no 
impulse  and  no  allurement  to  wrong-doing.  They  are 
perfect  through  God's  gracious  imputation  to  them  of  the 
righteousness  which   Christ   acquired   for  all   men   and 


268  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

which  they  have  appropriated  by  faith,  not  through  any 
righteousness  of  their  own.  When  they  think  of  the  ac- 
count to  be  rendered  to  God  of  themselves  and  their 
deeds,  they  trust  for  their  peace  and  comfort  in  the  merits 
of  the  Savior  alone,  without  a  thought  that  their  own 
fulfillment  of  the  law  could  constitute  a  merit  which 
would  render  Christ's  merit  superfluous  for  their  justifi- 
cation. In  that  aspect  of  the  Christian's  life  and  destiny 
he  is  nothing  and  Christ  is  all.  "I  count  all  things  but 
loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ 
my  Lord,  for  whom  I  have  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things, 
and  do  count  them  but  dung,  that  I  may  win  Christ  and 
be  found  in  Him,  not  having  mine  own  righteousness, 
which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through  the  faith  of 
Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith."  Phil. 
3,  8.  9.  For  our  salvation  nothing  avails  but  the  blood  of 
Christ,  which  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin  and  to  which  no 
love  or  righteousness  of  ours  can  add  any  virtue. 

But  the  grace  which  works  faith  in  Christ  unto 
justification,  so  that  there  is  no  condemnation  to  them 
that  believe,  also  purifies  the  heart,  so  that  believers 
hate  sin  and  love  righteousness.  "Know  ye  not  that  so 
many  of  us  as  were  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ  were  bap- 
tized into  His  death?  Therefore  we  are  buried  with  Him 
by  baptism  into  death,  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  up 
from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  also 
we  should  walk  in  newness  of  life."  Rom.  6,  2.  3.  The 
Holy  Spirit,  who  is  given  us  through  the  means  of  grace, 
by  which  we  are  made  believers,  provides  for  our  deliver- 
ance from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  selfishness  and  for  our 
uplifting  into  a  life  of  holiness  and  love.  "For  the  love 
of  Christ  constraineth  us;  because  we  thus  judge,  that  if 
one  died  for  all,  then  were  all  dead;  and  that  He  died  for 
all,  that  they  which  live  should  not  henceforth  live  unto 
themselves,  but  unto  Him  which  died  for  them  and  rose 
again."    2  Cor.  5,  14.  15.     It  is  the  design  of  God  that 


THE    GOLDEN    RULE.  269 

those  who  receive  the  Savior  should  be  restored  to  the 
purity  and  liberty  of  w^hich  sin  had  deprived  them,  and 
that  being  saved  from  death  through  the  obedience  of 
Christ  they  should  glorify  His  name  by  living  a  life  of 
holiness  and  blessedness  under  Him  in  His  kingdom.  To 
this  end  the  Holy  Spirit  dwells  in  them  and  unceasingly 
does  His  purifying  work  in  their  hearts.  "If  the  Spirit 
of  Him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwell  in  you, 
He  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken 
your  mortal  bodies  by  His  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  you. 
Therefore,  brethren,  we  are  debtors  not  to  the  flesh,  to 
live  after  the  flesh.  For  if  ye  live  after  the  flesh  ye  shall 
die;  but  if  ye  through  the  Spirit  do  mortify  the  deeds  of 
the  body,  ye  shall  live.  For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God."  Eom.  8,  11-14. 
The  Christian  has  then  that  within  him  which  makes 
the  application  of  the  golden  rule  practicable.  Love, 
which  is  the  bond  of  perfectness,  rules  in  his  heart.  Not 
that  it  has  done  its  perfect  work  as  soon  as  the  faith  is 
wrought  which  embraces  the  Savior  with  His  perfect 
righteousness.  The  believing  soul  is  justified  by  this 
faith,  and  ready  to  stand  at  any  moment  before  the  judg- 
ment bar  of  Christ,  in  whose  perfect  merits  he  is  clad, 
though  he  has  no  righteousness  or  merit  of  his  own. 
But  his  flesh  still  clings  to  him  and  hinders  the  Spirit's 
sanctifying  work,  so  that  perfection  of  love  is  reached 
only  when  the  conflict  with  sin  is  ended  in  death.  Mean- 
time the  believer  never  loses  sight  of  the  love  which  is  the 
fulfilling  of  the  law,  as  the  ideal  which  he  strives  to 
realize.  By  reason  of  the  sin  in  his  nature  which,  insti- 
gated by  Satan  and  allured  by  the  world,  ever  lusts 
against  the  Spirit  and  struggles  for  the  mastery,  he  is 
conscious  tliat  he  comes  short  of  its  realization.  The 
consequence  is  that  he  daily  takes  refuge  anew  in  the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  the  forgiveness  of  his 
sins  and  his  peace  with  God,  and  daily  by  the  power  of 


270  THE   SERMON   OX   THE    MOUNT. 

the  Holy  Spirit  renews  the  struggle  against  the  sin  that 
is  in  him  and  around  him,  and  the  endeavor  to  walk 
worthy  of  his  high  calling.  Hence  the  Scriptures  admon- 
ish us:  ''Having  therefore  these  promises,  dearly  be- 
loved, let  us  cleanse  ourselves  from  all  fllthiness  of  the 
flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God." 
Heb.  7,  1. 

The  rule  is  thus  well  adapted  to  the  character  of 
Christian  believers,  and  accords  with  the  vocation  which 
they  have  received  as  free  subjects  of  Christ  in  His  king- 
dom of  grace  here  and  glory  hereafter.  They  have  a 
good  standard  by  which  to  judge  what  ought  to  be  done. 
Not  only  have  they  the  law  and  the  prophets  to  direct 
them,  but  they  have  the  love  to  incite  them  to  do  what 
God  has  shown  by  the  law  and  the  prophets  to  be  His 
holy  will.  The  Holy  Spirit  who  gave  the  revelation  of 
righteousness,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  who  dwells  in  their 
hearts  by  faith,  is  one  and  the  same.  That  Spirit  always 
moves  them  in  the  way  of  love  and  holiness  which  the 
Word  given  by  revelation  prescribes.  Therefore  when 
our  Lord  tells  us,  "Whatsoever  things  ye  would  that  men 
should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them,"  the  implication 
is  that  His  disciples  expect  love  from  all  the  brethren 
and  should  be  ever  ready  to  extend  the  same  love  to 
them.  What  Christians  desire  is  that  all  should  love 
each  other  and  make  this  manifest  in  their  conduct  to- 
wards each  other.  "We  know  that  we  have  passed  from 
death  unto  life  because  we  love  the  brethren.  He  that 
loveth  not  his  brother  abideth  in  death."  1  John  3,  14. 
"Whosoever  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is  born  of 
God;  and  every  one  that  loveth  Him  that  begat,  loveth 
Him  also  tliat  is  begotten  of  Him.  By  this  we  know 
that  we  love  the  children  of  God,  when  we  love  God  and 
keep  His  commandments."  1  John  4,  1,  2."  The  children 
of  God  love  one  another,  and  therefore  would  have  all  do 


THE    GOLDEN    RULE.  271 

to  them  what  love  requires,  and  are  willing  to  do  the 
same  to  them. 

The  golden  rule  is  thus  plainly  practicable  among 
true  Christians.  But  it  will  not  therefore  serve  as  an 
unfailing  regulative  for  righteousness  to  all  men,  whether 
Christians  or  not.  It  is  designed  for  those  who  believe, 
and  wiil  not  be  a  reliable  guide  for  right  living  to  man- 
kind in  general.  The  reason  is  obvious.  It  assumes  the 
existence  of  a  right  standard  in  the  minds  of  those  who 
would  regulate  their  lives  by  it.  But  this  does  not  exist 
in  all  men;  for  not  all  desire  that  the  will  of  God  should 
be  done,  which  alone  unfailingly  points  out  the  path  of 
righteousness  and  leads  in  the  way  of  love.  We  should 
do  unto  others  what  we  would  have  them  do  to  us,  pro- 
vided that  what  we  would  have  them  do  to  us  accords 
with  the  instructions  which  our  Lord  has  given  us  and 
the  love  which  He  would  have  to  reign  in  our  hearts.  If 
we  have  no  such  right  will  and  loving  motive,  the  applica- 
tion of  the  rule  may  lead  to  the  very  iniquities  of  selfish- 
ness which  Christ  designed  to  avert.  If  a  man  desires 
that  others  should  lie  and  cheat  for  his  benefit,  manifestly 
the  rule  under  his  manipulation  would  require  him  to  lie 
and  cheat  for  the  benefit  of  others.  When  one  wants 
others  to  aid  him  in  the  execution  of  his  selfish  purpose 
and  to  abet  the  sinful  schemes  by  which  it  is  to  be  accom- 
plished, he  must,  if  he  would  comply  with  the  rule,  engage 
in  the  same  iniquitous  business  to  serve  them.  The 
rule  works  well  when  good  men  apply  it;  if  a  man  is 
governed  by  selfishness,  its  application  will  result  in  sel- 
fish deeds. 

Human  nature  does  not  furnish  a  standard  of  morals 
which  could  secure  right  conduct.  The  assumption  that 
it  does,  and  that  all  that  is  necessary  for  the  maintenance 
of  justice  and  charity  in  the  lives  of  men  is  to  live  up  to 
this  standard,  is  radically  false,  because  it  makes  no  ac- 


272  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

count  of  the  corruption  and  disablement  of  that  nature 
by  the  fall  of  man  and  the  introduction  of  sin.  It  is  the 
obstinate  refusal  to  recognize  the  universal  fact  of  sin 
in  the  world  that  renders  so  much  of  our  educational 
work  a  failure. 

The  original  constitution  of  man  contained  such  a 
standard.  We  are  assured  of  this  by  the  testimony  of  Holy 
Scripture,  which  is  our  only  source  of  knowledge  concern- 
ing man  before  his  fall.  This  tells  us  that  he  was  created 
in  the  image  of  God  and  that  his  Maker  pronounced  him 
good.  But  it  was  not  long  until,  according  to  the  same 
testimony,  the  imaginations  of  the  thoughts  of  his  heart 
were  only  evil  continually.  How  this  came  about  is  told 
us  in  the  third  chapter  of  Genesis.  Satan  entered  Para- 
dise and  wrought  the  ruin  of  our  race.  "By  one  man  sin 
entered  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin;  and  so  death 
passed  upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned."    Kom.  5, 12. 

In  his  original  integrity  the  impulses  of  man's  heart 
were  in  conformity  with  the  righteousness  and  holiness 
which  constituted  the  image  of  God,  in  which  he  was  made. 
If  this  had  continued  to  be  the  motive  power  of  his  moral 
nature,  his  desires  and  volitions  would  have  been  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  his  holy  Maker,  and  whatsoever  he 
would  that  men  should  do  to  him  he  would  have  done  to 
them.  And  this  would  have  been  right  and  good,  because 
the  love  of  God  reigned  in  his  heart  and  was  the  moving 
principle  of  all  his  actions  in  thought  and  word  and  deed. 
He  had  the  standard  of  right  in  his  own  spiritual  life  and 
endowment.  There  was  nothing  sinful  in  his  nature,  and 
whatever  limitations  may  be  predicated  of  his  rational 
powers  as  a  creature  made  for  the  service  of  the  Creator, 
in  whose  holy  will  he  found  all  his  blessedness,  their 
activity  was  all  in  the  realm  of  righteousness  and  love. 
Until  his  apostasy  his  desires  and  volitions,  his  thoughts 
and  imaginings  were  all  good,  because  in  harmony  with 
God's,  in  whose  image  he  was  made.     If  the  fall  had  not 


THE    GOLDEN    RULE.  273 

intervened,  the  golden  rule  would  have  been  a  trustworthy 
regulative  of  holy  living,  as  what  was  desired  of  others 
was  always  that  which  accorded  with  the  will  of  God. 
But  it  is  not  so  now.  Satan,  the  foe  of  God  and  man, 
insinuated  his  nefarious  work,  sin  was  introduced,  and 
man  fell  from  God  into  the  bondage  of  corruption.  As  a 
consequence  the  etlective  application  of  the  golden  rule  is 
conditioned  upon  the  restoration  of  the  divine  image, 
through  the  introduction  of  the  new  life  which  came  to  us 
in  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  change  which  was  effected  in  the  nature  of  man 
by  the  intrusion  of  sin  did  not  change  his  original  essence 
or  destiny.  God  made  him  good,  and  he  became  bad;  but 
he  was  man  still,  and  God  held  him  still  to  be  good.  This 
implies  that  His  good  law  remained  obligatory  upon  His 
fallen  creature,  and  was  not  changed  to  adapt  it  to  his 
sinful  condition,  in  which  obedience  to  righteousness  no 
longer  lay  in  his  power.  Having  become  a  corrupt  tree, 
he  brought  forth  corrupt  fruit,  while  God  still  required 
righteousness,  in  which  and  for  which  he  was  created. 
But  it  means  more  than  this.  His  nature  was  not  so 
changed  that  the  holiness  and  righteousness,  which  he 
possessed  as  the  image  of  his  Creator,  could  no  longer  be 
felt  as  an  obligation  resting  upon  him.  He  was  man  still, 
and  notwithstanding  Ins  disabilities,  which  he  suffered 
by  his  own  fault,  his  mission  and  duty  was  to  quit  him- 
self as  man.  God  provided  that  he  should  know  this,  and 
therefore  gave  him  the  law  of  righteousness  in  written  com- 
mandments, that  he  might  read  them  and  have  something 
better  than  the  impulses  of  his  fallen  nature  to  guide  him. 
And  in  his  soul  an  element  remained  that  rendered  it 
impossible  for  him  to  renounce  this  holy  law  as  a  foreign 
imposition  which  had  no  relevancy  to  his  moral  consti- 
tution and  his  mission  in  the  world.  He  could  not  cast 
it  off  and  have  peace  in  its  renunciation  as  an  alien  man- 
date which  presented  an  ideal  plainly  beyond  his  reach. 
18 


274  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

He  felt  its  obligation  as  presenting  a  goal  for  the  attain- 
ment of  which  he  was  created,  and  without  which  his  life 
would  be  a  complete  failure.  His  soul  was  not  at  rest, 
and  nothing  within  him  or  about  him  could  give  him  rest. 
This  has  been  his  condition  ever  since,  and  his  con- 
dition in  all  the  world  now.  Not  all,  probably  but  few, 
understand  what  is  the  matter,  but  the  fact  is  one  of 
universal  experience,  whatever  may  be  the  varied  interpre- 
tations put  upon  it,  and  whatever  may  be  the  devices  which 
the  human  mind  has  put  forth  in  the  hope  of  remedying 
the  evil. 

The  element  remaining  in  our  nature  that  brings  the 
obligatoriness  of  righteousness  to  our  view  is  usually  called 
conscience.  This  is  not  the  place  to  enter  upon  an  extended 
discussion  of  the  confessedly  difficult  subject  which  the  word 
presents ;  but  there  are  several  points  which  must  be  kept 
in  view  for  our  present  purpose.  The  human  mind  is  not 
in  its  natural  depravity  capable  of  knowing,  from  its  own 
resources,  what  righteousness  and  love  to  man  requires 
and  can  therefore  not  devise  a  perfect  law  of  holiness. 
Hence  when  man  had  fallen  the  divine  law,  which  had 
been  a  light  shining  in  his  heart  to  guide  him  aright,  was 
written  on  tables  of  stone,  that  he  might  read  it  and  thus 
know  the  will  of  God,  though  now,  since  his  heart  was  no 
longer  in  harmony  with  that  will,  its  principal  function, 
because  of  existing  conditions,  would  naturally  be  to 
work  a  knowledge  of  sin.  But  notwithstanding  the  de- 
pravity which  the  law  condemns,  and  notwithstanding 
the  terror  which  the  law  inspires  and  the  resentment 
which  it  arouses  in  the  guilty  soul,  man  cannot  rid  him- 
self of  the  feeling  that  it  is  right  and  that  it  ought  to  be 
obeyed.  Conscience  thus  testifies  against  men  in  their 
sinfulness,  and  in  the  consciousness  the  unique  phenom- 
enon is  presented  of  a  subject  whose  faculties  are  all  under 
the  bondage  of  sin,  whose  thoughts  and  affections  are  all 
active  in  the  service  of  sin,  but  who  yet  recognize  the  obli- 


THE    GOLDEN   RULE.  275 

gatiou  of  the  righteousness  which  the  law  demands,  who 
feels  that  he  ought  to  obey  it,  and  who  by  no  expedient  is 
able  to  divest  himself  of  the  unrest  which  results  from  the 
conflicting  elements  in  his  nature.  He  has  gone  wrong 
and  does  wrong,  but  his  conscience  sanctions  the  right 
and  can  by  no  ingenuity  of  his  reason  be  made  to  sanction 
the  wrong,  unless  he  succeeds  in  deceiving  himself  into 
the  precarious  belief  that  wrong  is  right.  Conscience  thus 
protects  man  from  becoming  a  devil,  and  establishes  the 
possibility  of  his  restoration,  by  a  new  creation  in  Christ 
Jesus,  to  his  original  condition  of  holiness.  But  it  can- 
not itself  restore  him.  Sanctioning  the  right  and  doing 
the  riglit  are  far  from  being  the  same  thing.  It  always 
approves  the  right  when  the  mind  knows  it,  but  it  does 
not  even  secure  the  knowledge  of  righteousness,  much 
less  its  performance,  as  the  morality,  theoretical  and  prac- 
tical, of  peoples  without  a  supernatural  revelation  amply 
and  painfully  shows.  Hence  notwithstanding  the  power 
of  conscience  man  has  not  in  himself  a  standard  which 
could  under  all  circumstances  secure  right  actions.  The 
very  fact  that  men,  in  their  endeavor  to  justify  or  excuse 
their  wrongdoing  by  a  process  of  self-deception,  in  which 
the  wrong  is  made  to  appear  right,  shows  such  an  as- 
sumption to  be  groundless. 

If  therefore  the  natural  man  would  consent  to  adopt 
as  the  regulation  of  his  life  the  precept,  "Whatsoever  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them," 
considerate  conduct  could  be  expected  on  a  selfish  basis, 
but  not  the  unselfishness  and  self-sacrifice  involved  in 
tlie  law  of  love  whicli  is  tlie  bond  of  perfoctness.  Not 
even  the  summit  of  civil  righteousness  would  be  reached. 
Prudential  consideration  would  lead  to  a  policy  of  recti- 
tude, so  far  as  ajjpearances  are  concerned,  but  would  not 
prevent  the  doing  of  wrong  when  selfish  motives  suggested 
it  and  reason  concluded  that  doing  it  would  furnish  the 
higher  gratification,  notwithstanding  the  drawbacks  and 


276  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

dangers.  That  kindly  impulses  of  humanity,  such  as  lie 
in  our  nature  though  fallen,  would  continue  to  be  exer- 
cised and  their  frequency  enhanced  by  the  application  of 
the  precept  is  not  disputed;  but  the  rule  cannot  protect 
the  corrupt  heart  against  the  power  of  sin  which  urges 
the  wrong  when  the  right  costs  too  much.  The  golden 
rule,  like  all  other  forms  of  law,  can  direct  our  course 
along  the  line  of  righteousness  when  our  inclinations  are 
right,  but  can  never  set  the  heart  right.  No  law  can  do 
that.  If  a  workman  is  disposed  to  do  the  honest  work 
that  is  expected  of  him,  the  consideration  that  he  would 
wish  this  to  be  done  for  him  if  he  were  the  employer,  will 
no  doubt  fortify  him  to  resist  sporadic  temptations  to 
slight  it;  but  if  he  has  no  such  governing  purpose,  the 
rule  will  not  prevent  him  from  resorting  to  "tricks  of  the 
trade"  in  furtherance  of  his  own  selfish  desire  to  make 
the  most  that  he  can  for  his  personal  advantage.  And 
not  only  has  the  rule  no  power  to  better  the  man  who 
adopts  it,  but  its  application  may  even  result  in  doing 
wrong.  For  when  work  has  been  slighted  the  workman 
might  wish  that  if  he  were  the  employer  the  defect  should 
be  concealed,  lest  his  business  should  be  injured,  and  he 
accordingly  hides  the  fault.  A  dishonest  man  may  wish 
to  receive  money  in  exchange  for  his  influence  in  promot- 
ing a  cause  that  is  profitable,  though  bad,  and  proceed 
to  bribe  legislators  and  judges  on  the  principle  of  doing 
to  others  what  he  would  wish  them  to  do  to  him. 

The  golden  rule  is  an  excellent  guide  for  good  men. 
But  it  makes  no  man  good.  "If  there  had  been  a  law 
given  which  could  have  given  life,  verily  righteousness 
should  have  been  by  the  law.  But  the  Scripture  hath 
concluded  all  under  sin,  that  the  promise  by  faith  of  Jesus 
Christ  might  be  given  them  that  believe."  Gal.  3,  21.  22. 
The  law  shows  us  what,  according  to  the  mission  and 
endowment  given  to  man,  we  ought  to  be  and  to  do  in 
order  to  accomplish  the  end  of  our  creation ;  but  since  the 


THE    GOLDEN    RULE.  277 

fall,  on  account  of  which  we  are  dead  in  trespasses  and 
sins  and  children  of  wrath  by  nature,  its  chief  work  is  to 
show  us  our  sinfulness  and  our  disability,  and  thus  pre- 
pare us  for  the  salvation  effected  by  the  Savior  and 
graciously  offered  by  the  Holy  Spirit  tlirough  the  Gospel. 
"For  what  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak 
through  the  flesh,  God  sending  His  own  Son  in  the  like- 
ness of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the 
flesh,  that  the  righteousness  of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled 
in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit." 
Rom.  8,  3.  4.  Jesus  expounded  the  law  in  His  sermon 
on  the  mount,  but  even  when  He,  the  greatest  of  all 
teachers,  preached  it,  it  was  powerless  to  sanctify  and 
save  the  souls  whom  it  condemned  because  of  their  trans- 
gressions, and  its  chief  work  continued  to  be  the  exposure 
of  our  sin  and  helplessness,  while  His  glorious  work  was 
to  fulfill  all  righteousness  in  our  stead  and  effect  our  de- 
liverance by  His  redeeming  grace.  "Now  we  know  that 
whatsoever  things  the  law  saith,  it  saith  to  them  who 
are  under  the  law,  that  every  mouth  may  be  stopped 
and  all  the  world  may  become  guilty  before  God.  There- 
fore by  the  deeds  of  the  law  there  shall  no  flesh  be  justi- 
fied in  His  sight;  for  by  the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin. 
But  now  the  righteousness  of  God  without  the  law  is 
manifested,  being  witnessed  by  the  law  and  the  prophets, 
even  the  righteousness  which  is  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ 
unto  all  and  upon  all  them  that  believe:  for  there  is  no 
difference;  for  all  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the 
glory  of  God,  being  justified  freely  by  His  grace,  through 
the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  Rom.  3,  19-24. 
When  faith  has  embraced  the  great  salvation  in  Christ 
and  thus  the  heart  has  been  renewed,  the  golden  rule  will 
be  an  excellent  guide  of  conduct  in  a  life  actuated  by 
love.  Without  such  renewal  through  the  grace  of  our 
Savior  it  not  only  cannot  bring  about  the  righteousness 
which  the  law  demands,  but  may  even  be  abused  in  the 


278  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

service  of  sin  by  the  acceptance  of  a  norm  that  is  nothing^ 
more  than  a  dictate  of  the  flesh.  Only  when  we  have  the 
grace  to  wish  that  others  would  do  right  to  us  can  such 
wish  be  a  good  rule  to  direct  us  in  our  action  towards 
them ;  otherwise,  by  reason  of  the  depravity  of  our  nature, 
the  dominating  power  will  always  be  the  selfish  motives 
of  the  flesh  as  against  the  law  of  love  w^hich  requires 
self-denial. 

Put  yourself  in  his  place  and  then  judge  what  you 
would  like  to  have  your  neighbor  do  to  you  is  emphatical- 
ly a  good  plan  to  ascertain  what  in  existing  circum- 
stances you  should  do  to  him,  provided  you  have  the  love 
in  your  heart  that  wishes  no  wrong  to  your  neighbor. 
You  owe  him  money  and  have  no  thought  of  defrauding 
him.  You  mean  to  pay  him  as  an  honest  man  should. 
But  he  is  needy,  and  it  is  not  convenient  to  pay  him 
just  now,  neither  does  the  law  require  that  you  should 
discharge  the  debt  to-day.  Your  interest  is  to  defer  the 
payment  to  a  more  convenient  season.  You  have  a  legal 
right  to  do  this,  and  it  is  easy  in  such  a  case  to  persuade 
yourself  that  you  have  also  a  moral  right.  Eighteous- 
ness  seems  not  to  be  violated  by  deferring  what  there  is 
no  intention  or  even  desire  to  neglect.  But  what  does 
love,  which  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  require  in  the 
matter?  Apply  the  golden  rule  and  the  answer  will  be 
at  hand:  Do  to  him  as  you  would  wish  him  to  do  to  you. 
It  makes  no  new  law :  it  merely  directs  attention  to  that 
which  is  the  essence  of  all  divine  law  and  sets  in  motion 
the  powers  with  which  the  Christian  is  endowed  when 
his  heart  is  purified  by  faith.  You  wish  that  he  would 
discharge  his  obligation  to  you  now,  when  you  are  in  dis- 
tress, though  it  may  involve  a  sacrifice:  that  is  what 
Christian  love  would  prompt  you  to  do  to  him. 

This  is  the  law  and  the  prophets,  but  not  the  in- 
stinctive expression  of  the  natural  man.  The  sermon 
on  the  mount  sets  forth  the  law  of  God  and  its  fulfill- 


THE    GOLDEN    RULE.  279 

ment  in  a  righteousness  that  is  better  than  that  of  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees;  and  the  golden  rule  can  be  rightly 
understood  and  practiced  only  on  the  principles  which 
Christ  enumerates,  who  came  not  to  destroy,  but  to  ful- 
fill the  law.  By  faith  tlie  righteousness  which  He  ac- 
quired for  men  by  His  vicarious  obedience  unto  death  is 
appropriated,  so  that  there  is  no  condemnation  to  them 
which  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  by  faith  their  hearts  are 
purified,  so  that  like  their  Savior  they  delight  to  do  God's 
will.  Such  children  of  God  obtain  a  clearer  conscious- 
ness of  what  is  implied  in  the  love  which  they  always 
desire  to  exercise  towards  their  fellow  men,  when  they 
consider  Avhat  they  wish  that  these  should  do  towards 
them.  The  golden  rule  thus  serves  as  an  interpreter  of 
the  love  that  reigns  in  their  hearts  and  a  guide  for  its 
proper  exercise.  But  the  assumption  that  all  would  be 
good  and  lovely  if  only  all  men  could  be  persuaded  to 
adopt  it  as  a  norm  of  their  conduct,  is  a  delusion  which 
comes  of  disregarding  the  fundamental  requirement  of 
Christian  living,  that  man  must  be  born  again.  Without 
Christ  we  can  do  nothing.  The  efforts  to  glorify  sinful 
humanity  by  leading  men  to  exalt  their  own  powers  and 
trust  in  them  are  not  in  accord  with  the  law  and  the 
prophets. 


E 


SECTION  XIV. 

The  Narrow  Way. 

( Matthew  7,  13.  14.) 

NTEli  ye  in  at  the -strait  gate;  for  wide  is  the 
gate  and  broad  is  the  way  that  leadeth  to  de- 
struction, and  many  there  be  wliich  go  in 
thereat:  because  strait  is  the  gate  and  narrow  is  the 
way  which  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be  that  find 
it."' 

Something  more  than  our  nature  furnishes  is  neces- 
sary to  escape  the  condemnation  which  sin  has  brought 
upon  us,  and  to  walk  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness 
according  to  our  Maker's  w^ill.  If  we  follow  the  instincts 
of  our  own  hearts,  our  lives  will  not  accord  with  the  re- 
quirements of  God's  holy  will;  for  "out  of  the  heart  pro- 
ceed evil  thoughts,  murders,  adulteries,  fornications, 
thefts,  false  witness,  blasphemies.''  Matt.  15,  20.  Un- 
less a  better  righteousness  is  attained  than  that  which 
can  be  developed  from  our  corrupt  nature,  we  must  die 
in  our  sins.  Our  Lord  shows  what  is  requisite  under  the 
figure  of  two  ways,  between  which  a  choice  is  to  be  made. 
One  of  these  is  entered  by  a  strait  or  narrow^  gate  leading 
into  a  narrow  path,  which  issues  in  eternal  life,  but  on 
which  comparatively  few  are  found  walking,  although 
the  grace  of  God  would  by  the  Gospel  enable  all  to 
choose  it  and  walk  in  it.  The  other  is  a  broad  road, 
with  a  wide  gate  of  entrance,  which  leads  to  destruction, 
and  on  which  multitudes  are  traveling  to  a  dreadful 
doom,  although  God  by  His  holy  law  earnestly  w^arns 
against  it.  Dropping  the  figure,  vre  (ire  tlius  taught  that 
we  must  enter  the  kingdom  of  God  if  we  would  have 

280 


THE    NARROW    WAY.  281 

eternal  life,  and  that  if  we  decline  to  do  this  we  shall  go 
with  the  multitude  to  the  everlastino-  death  which  is  the 
wagey  of  sin. 

It  is  marvelous  that  the  many  should  choose  the 
wide  gate  and  the  broad  road  to  death,  and  that  only  the 
few  should  make  choice  of  the  strait  and  narrow  way 
that  leads  to  life.  But  we  cease  to  wonder  when  we 
study  the  Scriptures  and  apply  our  hearts  unto  wisdom. 
It  is  what  we  must  expect  of  a  people  who,  because  of 
their  blindness  in  sin,  professing  to  be  wise  have  become 
fools.  For  when  the  fall  had  taken  place,  "God  saw  that 
the  wickedness  of  man  was  great  in  the  earth  and  that 
every  imagination  of  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  was  only 
evil  continually."  Gen.  6,  5.  All  men  are  now  born  in 
sin  and  ushered  into  a  world  of  sin.  It  is  man's  native 
element,  and  the  wide  gate  and  broad  road  are  his  natural 
choice.  Death  reigns,  and  only  those  live  whom  God 
rescues  by  His  grace.  "You  hath  He  quickened,  who 
were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins;  wherein  in  time  past 
ye  walked  according  to  the  course  of  this  world,  accord- 
ing to  the  prince  of  the  ix)wer  of  the  air,  the  spirit  that 
now  worketh  in  the  children  of  disobedience:  in  whom 
also  we  all  had  our  conversation  in  times  past  in  the  lusts 
of  our  flesh,  fulfilling  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the 
mind,  and  were  by  nature  the  children  of  wrath,  even  as 
others."  Eph.  2,  1-3.  The  condition  of  our  fallen  race 
is  thus  plainly  described.  There  is  no  spiritual  life  in 
man;  the  whole  world  lieth  in  wickedness,  under  the 
dominion  of  Satan,  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air; 
the  moving  principle  in  human  hearts  is  the  flesh  with 
its  affections  and  lusts;  the  walk  and  conversation  of 
all  men  is  therefore  according  to  the  course  of  this 
world ;  and  as  a  result  of  the  apostacy  of  a  creature 
whom  God  had  made  good  and  endowed  with  godlike 
gifts,  all  became  children  of  wrath  by  nature.  That  in 
this  forlorn  state  the  multitude  should  choose  the  broad 


282  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

road  that  leads  to  death,  does  not  seem  so  marvelous  after 
all,  seeing  that  it  is  but  natural. 

The  situation  is  not  changed  when  we  reflect  that 
man,  in  the  depth  of  his  soul,  does  not  prefer  death  to  life, 
and  never  thinks  of  choosing  misery  rath^'r  than  happi- 
ness. We  may  infer  from  this  fact  that  he  will  not 
of  two  alternatives  choose  that  which  he  knows  to  be  the 
one  which  will  bring  wretchedness  upon  him  in  time  and 
in  eternity.  He  does  not  delight  in  pain  and  woe,  but 
shuns  it  and  endeavors  to  escape  it.  His  efforts  are  di- 
rected to  the  attainment  of  pleasure  and  the  possession 
of  happiness.  Accordingly,  when  two  ways  are  shown 
him,  the  one  known  to  him  as  a  pleasant  path  that  issues 
in  everlasting  bliss,  the  other  equally  known  to  him  as 
a  rough  and  thorny  road  that  will  bring  him  to  endless 
grief,  he  will  not  intelligently  select  the  latter.  But  the 
sin  that  makes  men  knaves  and  slaves  does  not  make 
them  aware  of  their  knaver}^  and  slavery  and  of  the  un- 
ending misery  which  these  entail.  It  perverts  their  un- 
derstanding as  well  as  their  hearts,  and  they  try  to 
bring  their  pursuit  of  happiness  into  rational  consistency 
with  their  native  wickedness.  Hence  the  Scriptures  tell 
us  about  the  "deceivableness  of  unrighteousness."  Men 
not  only  deceive  each  other,  but  deceive  themselves. 
They  do  not  know  the  "exceeding  sinfulness"  and  un- 
speakable misery  of  sin,  but  endeavor  to  make  it  appear 
a  form  of  virtue,  or,  failing  in  this,  at  least  to  excuse  it 
as  the  best  attainable  under  the  circumstances.  And 
when  the  truth  is  told  them,  so  that  as  rational  creatures 
they  might  know  better,  they  do  not  believe  it.  Only 
when  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  its  enlight- 
ening and  regenerating  power  has  come  and  made  new 
creatures  of  fallen  man  can  this  be  otherwise.  "This  I 
say  therefore,  and  testify  in  the  Lord,  that  ye  henceforth 
walk  not  as  other  Gentiles  walk,  in  the  vanity  of  their 
mind,  having  the  understanding  darkened,  being  alien- 


THE    NARROW   WAY.  283 

ated  from  the  life  of  God  through  the  ignorance  that  is 
in  them,  because  of  the  blindness  of  their  heart."  Eph. 
4,  17.  18.  This  vanity  and  darkness  of  the  mind  in  its 
alienation  from  the  life  of  God  is  an  obstacle  that  is 
insuperable,  so  far  as  tlie  powers  of  nature  are  concerned, 
in  the  way  of  all  improvement  of  man's  moral  condi- 
tion. Therefore  wlien  the  only  possible  help  is  offered  in 
the  grace  and  truth  which  the  Gospel  presents,  he  re- 
jects it  in  his  blindness,  and  in  his  carnal  wisdom,  which 
is  vanity,  thinks  that  he  acts  reasonably  when  he  rejects 
it.  "The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God;  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him;  neither 
can  he  know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually  dis- 
cerned." 1  Cor.  2,  14.  The  situation  therefore  affords 
no  hope  of  a  change  for  the  better  by  the  exercise  of  any 
powers  that  yet  remain  in  the  sinful  soul.  "The  heart  is 
deceitful  above  all  things  and  desperately  wicked:  who 
can  know  it."     Jer.  17,  9. 

Hence  when  our  Lord  calls  upon  the  people  to  "enter 
in  at  the  strait  gate"  into  the  narrow  way  "which  lead- 
eth  unto  life,"  we  certainly  would  fail  to  understand 
the  exhortation  if  we  assumed  it  to  mean,  that  we  should 
arouse  the  moral  forces  of  our  nature  and  hopefully  seek 
deliverance  from  death  by  strenuous  efforts  of  obedience 
to  the  law.  The  light  of  the  Gospel  shone  gradually  and 
with  ever  increasing  brightness  upon  the  world,  and  it 
may  be  that  some  of  His  hearers  were  not  yet  sufficiently 
enlightened  to  be  secured  against  such  a  misunderstand- 
ing. But  this  could  not  be  the  Savior's  meaning,  as  that 
would  thwart  the  whole  purpose  of  His  advent  and  work 
on  earth.  If  there  were  any  who  could  not  yet  under- 
stand it,  they  were  expected  to  grow  in  grace  and  the 
knowledge  of  Jesus  until  they  could  understand  it;  but 
that  would  not  justify  us  in  declining  to  find  in  His 
words  anything  more  than  those  who  were  yet  under 
the  bondage  of  the  law  could  comprehend.     Faithful  fol- 


284  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

lowers  of  Cliiist  must  learn  to  read  the  whole  Bible  in 
the  light  of  the  Gospel. 

If  we  desire  to  be  saved,  the  one  thing  needful  is  to 
put  on  Christ  by  faith.  That  is,  in  other  words,  we  must 
be  born  again.  In  Him  alone  we  have  salvation.  "I 
am  the  way  and  tho  truth  and  the  life,"  He  tells  us;  "no 
man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me."  John  14,  6.  The 
fruits  of  holiness  can  be  b.orne  only  by  those  who  believe 
in  Him  as  their  Savior  from  sin  and  death,  and  are  thus 
renewed  in  the  spirit  of  their  minds:  "I  am  the  vine, 
ye  are  the  branches;  he  that  abideth  in  me  and  I  in  him, 
the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit;  for  without  me  ye 
can  do  nothing."  John  15,  5.  The  Son  of  God  came  in- 
to the  world  to  be  our  Savior  and  give  us  life,  not  to 
show  us  how  we,  who  are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins, 
could  save  ourselves  by  a  better  life  under  the  law  which 
w^as  given  by  Moses.  That  would  be  impossible,  "be- 
cause the  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against  God;  for  it  is 
not  subject  to  the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be." 
Eom.  8,  7.  Jesus  expounded  the  law  which  the  Jews  had 
perverted  and  rendered  incapable  of  doing  its  legitimate 
work,  but  never  taught  the  people  to  trust  in  it  for  salva- 
tion from  the  curse  which  it  pronounces  upon  sin.  "For 
if  there  had  been  a  law  given  which  could  have  given  life, 
verily  righteousness  should  have  been  by  the  law.  But 
the  Scripture  hath  concluded  all  under  sin  that  the  prom- 
,  ise  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  might  be  given  to  them  that 
>^  believe."  Gal  3,  21.22.  In  this  sermon  on  the  mount 
our  Lord  taught  the  law  with  a  spiritual  depth  and  com- 
pleteness which  its  teachers  among  the  Pharisees  had 
never  attained;  but  it  was  not  for  the  purpose  of  flatter- 
ing His  hearers  that  they  could,  if  they  would  only  in  a 
manly  way  exert  themselves,  meet  all  its  demands  and 
thus  fulfill  all  righteousness.  That  would  simply  have 
left  them  on  the  broad  road  to  destruction  and  encour- 
aged them  in  the  self-delusion  that  they  could  render 


THE    NARROW   WAY.  285 

complete  satisfaction  under  the  law,  and  need  no  Savior, 
His  purpose  was  hiolier  and  holier;  "for  God  sent  not  His 
Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world,  but  that  the 
world  throuojh  Him  might  be  saved."  John  3,  17.  His 
exposition  of  the  law,  as  well  as  all  the  rest  of  His  work, 
was  designed  to  serve  this  purpose.  The  people  were 
led  to  understand  the  w411  of  God  as  expressed  in  His 
holy  commandments,  not  that  thev  might  deceive  them- 
selves by  believing  that  they  had  fultilled  them  or  could 
fulfill  them  and  thus  be  saved,  but  that  they  might  see 
their  sin  and  their  lielplessness  and  embrace  the  great 
salvation  which  He  offers  by  His  grace.  "Wherefore  the  ' 
law  was  our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us  to  Christ,  that  we 
might  be  justified  by  faith.  But  after  that  faith  is  come 
we  are  no  longer  under  a  schoolmaster.  For  ye  are  all 
the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  For  as 
many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ,  have  put 
on  Christ."     Gal.  3,  24-27. 

The  plan  of  salvation  is  thus  apparent:  repent  and" 
believe  the  Gospel.  That  is  the  strait  gate  by  which 
the  narrow  way  that  leads  to  life  is  entered.  It  is  the 
only  way,  because  Christ  is  the  only  Savior  of  sinners. 
The  first  thing  necessary  to  share  the  blessedness  of 
Christ's  kingdom  is  to  recognize  our  sin  and  the  ruin 
which  it  has  wrought.  As  long  as  a  soul  fails  to  see 
that  it  is  lost,  the  Gospel  way  of  salvation  will  seem  fool- 
ishness. Even  if  some  superficial  knowledge  of  sin  is  at- 
tained, but  the  delusion  is  at  the  same  time  harbored 
that  God  will  not  hold  us  strictly  to  the  law,  or  that  we 
can  without  much  difficulty  rid  ourselves  of  any  faults 
that  may  be  charged  against  us,  the  call  of  the  Savior  to 
come  to  Him  and  find  rest  for  our  souls  will  receive  little 
attention.  Why  should  we  seek  rescue  when  w^e  are 
aware  of  no  peril?  Wliy  should  we  appeal  to  a  physician 
for  help  when  we  do  not  know  ourselves  to  be  sick  — 
sick  though  we  are  unto  death?     In  the  natural  pride  of 


286  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

his  heart  man  does  not  see  that  he  is  "desperately 
wicked,"  and,  not  realizing  that  he  is  helpless  in  his  lost 
estate,  he  resents  the  offer  of  salvation.  Therefore  the 
Savior  preaches  the  law  to  work  a  knowledge  of  sin,  and 
calls  upon  all  men  to  repent  and  believe  the  Gospel,  which 
is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  all  them  that  be- 
lieve. Those  who,  despairing  of  their  own  power  to  de- 
liver themselves  from  the  curse  and  misery  of  sin,  receive 
the  Lord  Jesus  as  the  Savior  sent  to  rescue  them  from 
eternal  death,  thus  by  His  grace  enter  in  at  the  strait 
gate  and  pursue  the  narrow  way  to  our  Father's  house 
in  heaven. 

They  are  sad  words  which  our  Lord  speaks  when  He 
says  that  "few  there  be  that  find  it."  The  reason  of  this 
is  not  hidden  from  our  view.  The  gate  is  strait  and  the 
way  is  narrow.  That  explains  it.  Man  naturally  prefers 
the  wide  gate,  and  the  broad  way,  though  he  does  not 
prefer  the  destruction  to  which  it  leads.  He  is  willing 
to  take  chances  in  regard  to  that,  which  of  course  implies 
that  he  does  not  accept  the  truth  when  it  is  told  him, 
whatever  misgivings  may  arise  in  his  mind.  The  strait 
gate  is  not  according  to  his  inclinations.  It  can  be  en- 
tered only  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  pleasures  found  in  the 
gratification  of  the  flesh  with  its  affections  and  lusts. 
By  nature  no  one  is  willing  to  crucify  self  that  he  may 
live  unto  God.  "Whosoever  he  be  of  you,"  saith  our 
Lord,  "that  forsaljeth  not  all  that  he  hath,  he  cannot  be 
my  disciple."  ^mih  14,  33.  The  selfishness  that  wants 
to  be  its  own  lord  and  refuses  submission  to  the  law  of 
God  and  the  acceptance  of  His  grace  for  deliverance 
from  the  curse  which  it  has  brought  upon  the  soul,  finds 
the  gate  of  the  Gospel  too  strait  for  it  to  get  through, 
and  the  requirement  to  take  up  the  cross  and  follow 
Jesus  in  a  life  of  perpetual  self-denial  makes  the  way  of 
life  too  narrow  for  it  to  walk  upon.  The  consequence 
naturally  is  that  the  number  of  those  who  enter  in  at  the 


THE    NARROW   WAY.  287 

strait  gate  is  small  compared  with  the  many  who  go  in 
at  the  wide  gate  and  pursue  the  broad  way  to  everlasting 
death.  Although  the  grace  offered  in  the  Gospel  is 
sufficient  for  all  that  hear  it  and  furnishes  all  needful 
spiritual  power  to  make  wise  unto  salvation  every  soul 
that  does  not  wilfully  resist  its  heavenly  efficac}',  the  mul- 
titude still  persists  in  rejecting  the  narrow  way,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  "many  are  called  but  few  are  chosen." 

Everything  that  infinite  love  and  wisdom  could  do 
to  rescue  sinful  souls  from  impending  destruction  has 
been  done,  and  only  the  obstinacy  of  man  prevents  the 
execution  of  the  divine  will  that  all  should  be  saved.  The 
Triune  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  interposed  for 
the  salvation  of  all,  when  all  had  sinned.  In  His  eternal 
counsels  a  gracious  plan  was  devised  by  which  this  could 
be  effected.  "God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His 
only  begotten  Sou,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  John  3,  16. 
The  Father's  love  to  a  sinful  world  is  thus  revealed  in  its 
heavenly  glory.  "In  this  was  manifested  the  love  of  God 
toward  us,  because  that  God  sent  His  only  begotten  Son 
into  the  world  that  we  might  live  through  Him.  Herein 
is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  He  loved  us  and 
sent  His  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins."  1  John 
4,  8.  9.  The  Eternal  Son  cordially  entered  upon  the  plan 
of  infinite  love,  and  in  the  fulness  of  time  w^ts  made  flesh 
to  fulfill  all  righteousness  in  our  stead,  and  for  our  de- 
liverance from  the  curse  of  sin  suffer  its  penalty  upon 
the  cross.  "For  tliis  purpose  the  Sou  of  God  was  mani- 
fested that  He  might  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil."  1 
John  3,  8.  And  to  overcome  the  obstacle  existing  in  the 
unbelief  of  the  natural  heart,  the  Holy  Spirit,  proceeding 
from  the  Father  and  the  Son,  was  sent  to  do  the  gracious 
work  of  appropriating  the  redemption  in  the  hearts  of 
men.  "The  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom 
the  Father  will  send  in  my  name.  He  shall  teach  you  all 


288  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance,  what- 
soever I  have  said  unto  you."  John  14,  26.  Not  another 
Gospel  than  that  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  did  He  come  to 
bring  us,  but  the  one  truth  in  Jesus  unto  the  salvation  of 
all  them  that  believe.  "He  shall  glorify  me,"  says  the  Sa- 
vior, "for  He  shall  receive  of  mine  and  shall  show  it  unto 
you.  All  things  that  the  Father  hath  are  mine ;  therefore 
said  I  that  He  shall  take  of  .mine  and  shall  show  it  unto 
you."  John  16,  14.  15.  Thus  the  Holy  Spirit  completes 
the  work  of  God's  love  by  working  the  faith  in  human 
hearts  which  is  necessary  to  embrace  the  great  salvation 
in  Christ,  but  which  no  man  can  originate  in  his  own 
soul.  "I  believe  that  I  cannot  by  my  own  reason  or 
strength  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  or  come  to 
Him;  but  the  Holy  Ghost  has  called  me  by  the  Gospel, 
enlightened  me  with  His  gifts,  sanctified  and  kept  me  in 
the  faith."  That  a  sinner  is  brought  upon  the  narrow 
way  and  preserved  therein  unto  eternal  life  is  wholly  the 
"^  work  of  God.  He  has  instituted  means  to  this  end, 
which  always  convey  the  needful  grace  to  save  the  soul, 
so  that  if  any  are  lost  when  the  Gospel  is  preached  and 
the  Sacraments  are  administered,  it  is  never  because 
grace  was  not  offered  unto  salvation,  but  always  because 
the  grace  was  wilfully  rejected.  God  has  left  nothing 
^  undone  to  bring  the  lost  upon  the  narrow  way  and  pre- 
serve them  in  it  unto  eternal  life,  and  the  fault  is  all 
man's  own  if  he  chooses  the  broad  road  that  leadeth  to 
^  destruction.  The  glory  of  our  salvation  belongs  to  God 
alone;  the  shame  and  misery  of  our  perdition  belongs 
only  to  ourselves.  "After  that  the  kindness  and  love  of 
God  our  Savior  toward  man  appeared,  not  by  works  of 
righteousness  which  we  have  done,  but  according  to 
His  mercy  He  saved  us  by  the  washing  of  regeneration  and 
renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  He  shed  on  us  abun- 
dantly through  Jesus  Christ  our  Savior,  that  being  justi- 


THE   NARROW   WAY.  289 

fied  by  His  grace  we  should  be  made  heirs  according  to  the 
hope  of  eternal  life."  Tit.  3,  4-7. 

Our  gracious  Lord  made  rich  provision  for  continu- 
ing His  saving  work  until  the  end  of  time.  Many  gave 
ear  to  His  exhortation  to  enter  into  His  kingdom  and  to 
these  He  gave  the  commission:  "Go  ye  therefore  and 
teach  all  nations,  bai^tizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  command- 
ed you:  and  lo,  I  am  wdth  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world."  Matt.  28,  19.  20.  Thus  His  Church,  which 
is  the  communion  of  saints,  was  established  on  earth  and 
has  been  continued  until  this  day.  The  strait  gate  of 
Gospel  grace  has  stood  open  ever  since,  the  narrow  way 
that  leads  to  life  has  been  kept  in  plain  view  of  the 
people,  and  the  call  to  enter  in  and  enjoy  the  blessings 
which  it  offers  has  gone  out  into  all  the  world,  and  who- 
soever will  may  come  and  share  the  great  salvation. 
Those  who  have  entered  in  at  the  strait  gate  not  only 
recognize  their  calling  to  bring  the  good  tidings  of  sal- 
vation to  all  people  and,  prompted  by  the  love  of  souls, 
do  what  they  can  towards  teaching  all  nations,  but  real- 
ize that  the  promise  is  to  them  and  to  their  children. 
Thus  the  kingdom  of  God  is  maintained  and  extended. 
Christian  parents  bring  their  children  to  Christ  in  Holy 
Baptism,  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  given  them  and 
they  by  His  grace  are  made  children  of  God,  born  again 
of  water  and  the  Spirit,  and  heirs  of  eternal  life.  As 
such  they  are  to  be  trained  in  the  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord,  that  being  buried  with  Christ  by  baptism 
into  His  death,  "like  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from  the 
dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  we  also  should 
walk  in  newness  of  life."  Rom.  6,  3.  4.  "For  as  many 
of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ  have  put  on 
Christ."  Gal.  3,  27.  Nourished  as  living  branches  of  the 
19 


290  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Vine  by  the  Gospel  and,  when  maturity  for  self-examina- 
tion and  the  intelligent  confession  of  their  Christian  faith 
is  reached,  by  communion  with  Christ  through  partaking  of 
the  holy  sacrament  of  His  body  and  blood,  they  grow  in 
grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  their  Savior,  and  thus  in 
the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  pursue  the  narrow  path  to 
eternal  bliss.  But  not  all  have  the  blessing  of  baptism 
in  their  infancy,  and  from  childhood  know  the  Holy 
Scriptures  which  are  able  to  make  us  wise  unto  salvation 
through  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  Some  are  born 
in  pagan  lands,  and  have  not  access  to  the  means  of 
grace  which  God  has  committed  to  the  Church;  some, 
though  living  in  easy  reach  of  Word  and  Sacrament,  have 
grown  up  without  having  been  brought  under  their 
heavenly  influence;  and  some  who  were  carried  as  babes 
to  the  arms  of  Jesus  have,  through  neglect  of  the  means 
appointed  for  their  spiritual  preservation  and  growth, 
unhappily  strayed  away  from  the  fold  and  must  needs 
return  to  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  their  souls  if  they 
would  inherit  the  promise.  Whilst  the  normal  way  of 
building  the  Church,  when  it  is  once  established,  is  man- 
ifestly that  of  bringing  the  children  to  Christ  in  the  holy 
sacrament  of  Baptism,  that  they  may  be  born  again  of 
water  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  then  nurtured  in  the 
Church  as  God's  children,  the  design  of  God  to  bring  all 
nations  into  His  kingdom  renders  it  obvious  that  this 
will  not  apply  in  all  cases.  The  conditions  are  not  the 
same  in  the  three  classes  designated.  Adults  must  be 
gathered  in  as  well  as  the  children,  and  while  churches 
provide  for  these  and  thus  perpetuate  and  strengthen 
themselves,  they  cannot  be  faithful  if  they  neglect  their 
missionary  calling,  at  home  and  abroad,  to  make  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  known  to  all  people  and 
add  to  the  local  Church  those  who  receive  the  Savior. 

That  some  will  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  Lord's  call 
and  refuse  to  enter  at  the  strait  gate  and  w^alk  in  the 


THE   NAEROW   WAY.  291 

narrow  way,  is  to  be  expected  and  must  not  discourage 
us.     "Many  are  called  but  few  are  chosen."   This  is  la- 
mentable.    But  the  reason  is  not  that  God  does  not  de- 
sire the  salvation  of  all  alike,  or  that  He  is  not  sincere  in 
extending  the  call  whenever  and  wheresoever  and  to 
whomsoever  the  Gospel  is  preached.     Man  is  prone  to 
seek  the  fault  in  God  rather  than  in  himself.     But  Chris- 
tians know  better,  and  must  not  let  such  thoughts  of  the 
flesh  dishearten  them  in  their  holy  work.     They  know 
better  because  they  have  the  Word  of  the  Lord  Himself 
to  enlighten  them  and  guide  them.     "As  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked; 
but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his  way  and  live:  turn  ye, 
turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways;  for  why  will  ye  die,  O  house 
of  Israel?"     Ezek.   33,   11.     God  would   not   have  sent 
His  Son  into  the  world,  that  the  world  through  Him 
might  be  saved;  the  Eternal  Son  of  the  Father  would  not 
have  given  His  life  a  ransom  for  all,  dying  that  all  might 
live;  and  the  Gospel  of  salvation  would  not  have  been 
sent  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  all  people,  if  the 
Triune  God  had  not  meant  that  all  should  hear  the  good 
tidings  and  embrace  the  gracious  offer  of  the  remission 
of  sins  and  eternal  life.     The  Scriptures  assure  us  that 
"God  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved  and  to  come  unto  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth."     1  Tim.  2,  4.     "The  Lord  is  not 
slack  concerning  His  promise,  as  some  men  count  slack- 
ness; but  is  long-suffering  to  usward,  not  willing  that 
any  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to  repent- 
ance."   2  Pet.  3,  9.     The  fault  is  all  man's  own  if  he 
is  not  saved,  as  the  fault  is  all  his  own  that  he  is  in  the 
sinful  condition  which  needs  salvation.     God  is  willing 
to  save  all,  but  alas!  of  the  many  wiiom  He  calls  but  few 
are  willing  to  come  and  be  saved  through  the  strait  gate 
and  the  narrow  way  of  repentance  and  faith.     Hence  the 
plaintive  cry  of  our  Savior:     "O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem, 
thou  that  killest  the  prophets  and  stonest  them  which 


292  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy 
children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens 
under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not!"  Matt.  23,  37.  It  is 
amazing,  both  in  the  mercy  of  God  and  in  the  obstinacy 
of  men  when  that  mercy  is  offered  them:  but  so  it  is. 
Our  Lord's  complaint  is  continued  through  all  time: 
"Ye  will  not  come  to  me  that  ye  might  have  life."  John 
5,  40. 

But  we  who  believe  have  no  reason  to  be  discouraged. 
Some  will  heed  that  call  of  grace.  Compared  with  the 
multitudes  who  choose  to  remain  on  the  broad  way  that 
leadeth  to  destruction  they  are  few.  But  their  number 
is  still  great.  The  Church  has  flourished  and  flourishes 
still.  The  call  is  never  extended  in  vain.  Some  will 
come  and  be  saved.  "Therefore,  my  beloved  brethren, 
be.  ye  stedfast,  unmoveable,  always  abounding  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord,  forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  your  labor 
is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord."     1  Cor.  15,  58. 

Meantime  we  must  not  forget  that  the  way  is  nar- 
row on  which  we  are  journeying.  This  makes  it  incum- 
bent upon  us  to  watch  and  pray,  that  we  may  not  be  se- 
duced into  by-paths  or  neglect  the  guideposts  which  God 
has  graciously  given  us  to  direct  us.  "Let  him  that 
thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall."  "Be  sober, 
be  vigilant,  because  your  adversary  the  devil,  as  a  roar- 
ing lion,  walketh  about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour: 
whom  resist  stedfast  in  the  faith."  1  Pet.  5,  8.  9.  To 
imagine  that  there  is  no  danger  is  itself  dangerous.  The 
world  allures,  our  own  flesh  inclines  to  hear  its  voice, 
Satan  sends  false  prophets  to  mislead  us.  "Take  heed 
to  yourselves,  lest  at  any  time  your  hearts  be  overcharged 
with  surfeiting  and  drunkenness  and  cares  of  this  life." 
We  need  not  fear  while  we  abide  in  the  narrow  way 
of  God's  Word,  for  there  the  Lord  is  always  with  us  and 
His  grace  is  sujBBcient  for  us.  But  be  thou  faithful  unto 
death,  that  you  may  receive  the  crown  of  life. 


SECTION  XV. 

The  Voice  of  Warning. 

(Matthew  7,  15-23.) 

^^♦gjgEWARE  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you 
It^  in  sheep's  clothing  but  inwardly  they  are 
ravening  wolves.  Ye  shall  know  them  by  their 
fruits.  Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of 
thistles?  Even  so  every  good  tree  bringeth  forth  good 
fruit,  but  a  corrupt  tree  bringeth  forth  evil  fruit.  Every 
tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down  and 
cast  into  the  fire.  Wherefore  by  their  fruits  ye  shall 
know  them.  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord, 
Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  he 
that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day.  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not 
prophesied  in  Thy  name?  and  in  Thy  name  have  cast  out 
devils?  and  in  Thy  name  done  many  wonderful  w^orks? 
And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew  you; 
depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity." 

1.  After  pointing  out  the  two  ways  in  which  men 
may  choose  to  walk,  the  one  leading  to  life,  the  other  to 
death,  Christ  gives  us  a  much  needed  warning  against 
false  prophets,  who  would  lead  us  astray.  He  lovingly 
urges  His  hearers  to  enter  the  strait  gate  and  pursue  the 
narrow  way  which  leads  to  eternal  blessedness,  while 
the  multitude  foolishly  chooses  the  broad  road  which 
inevitably  leads  to  destruction.  Not  only  does  the  un- 
derstanding of  the  natural  man,  darkened  and  corrupted 
as  it  is  by  sin,  prefer  the  path  that  leads  away  from  God, 
but  many  delight  in  teaching  the  errors  which  seem  to 
justify  their  unwise  choice  and  make  it  appear  reason- 

293 


294  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

able.  The  warning  against  false  prophets  therefore 
comes  appropriately  in  close  connection  with  the  lesson 
on  the  two  ways  open  to  man's  choice.  Teachers  of  error 
do  much  towards  keeping  people  on  the  broad  road  to 
ruin  and  preventing  them  from  finding  and  entering  the 
narrow  gate  which  opens  to  the  way  of  life;  and  their 
work  of  evil  does  not  end  with  this,  but  they  do  much 
also  towards  misleading  th.ose  who  have  entered  the 
strait  gate  and  inducing  them  to  abandon  the  way  of 
life.  As  the  power  by  which  the  Christian  lives  his  spir- 
itual life  is  the  truth  revealed  from  heaven  by  the  Gospel, 
every  departure  from  that  truth  in  prophesying  or  preach- 
ing is  so  much  done  towards  preventing  the  accomplish- 
ment of  God's  good  will  to  save  mankind.  "If  ye  con- 
tinue in  my  Word,"  our  Savior  says,  "then  are  ye  my 
disciples  indeed;  and  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the 
truth  shall  make  you  free."  Those  who  are  led  away 
from  this  truth  by  false  prophets  thus  endanger  their 
souls  by  losing  the  Gospel  which  alone  can  save  them. 

The  word  prophets  usually  indicates  those  who  are 
called  to  preach  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  who  are 
commissioned  to  proclaim  the  saving  truth  revealed  from 
heaven.  This  truth  is  written  for  our  learning  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  A  false  prophet  is  one  who  teaches 
otherwise  than  God's  Word  teaches,  and  accordingly  is 
not  faithful  to  the  heavenly  message  and  the  divine  com- 
mission. He  professes  to  preach  God's  Word,  but  in- 
stead of  this  proclaims  his  own  word.  Whether  he  be 
sent  or  comes  of  his  own  accord  under  the  pretense  that 
he  is  sent,  and  whether  he  is  conscious  or  not  of  his 
aberration  from  the  inspired  Word,  which  alone  gives 
spiritual  life  and  light,  is  not  of  material  import  for  dis- 
tinguishing the  false  from  the  true  prophet.  In  this  re- 
gard the  one  essential  point  to  be  examined  is  his  preach- 
ing or  prophesying,  and  that  upon  which  the  examina- 
tion must  be  based  and  by  which  our  judgment  must  be 


THE   VOICE    OF   WARNING.  295 

formed  is  the  Word  of  God  recorded  in  the  Scriptures. 
"If  there  arise  amoncj  you  a  prophet,  or  a  dreamer  of 
dreams,  aud  giveth  thee  a  sign  or  a  wonder,  and  the 
sign  or  the  wonder  come  to  pass  whereof  he  spake  unto 
thee,  saying.  Let  us  go  after  other  gods,  which  thou  hast 
not  known,  and  let  us  serve  them,  thou  shall  not  hearken 
to  that  prophet,  or  that  dreamer  of  dreams;  for  the  Lord 
your  God  proveth  you,  to  know  whether  ye  love  the  Lord 
your  God  with  all  3'our  heart  and  with  all  your  soul." 
Duet.  13,  1-3. 

There  are  false  prophets  among  the  chosen  people, 
and  God  sometimes  even  permits  them  to  perform  signs 
and  wonders  to  try  the  faithfulness  of  His  children. 
These  are  required  to  abide  by  His  Word,  whatever  those 
who  teach  otherwise  may  hold  out  as  an  inducement  to 
depart  from  it.  "To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony;  if 
they  speak  not  according  to  this  Word,  it  is  because 
there  is  no  light  in  them."  Isa.  8,  20.  Nor  did  it  become 
otherwise  when  Christ  came  and  the  fuller  light  of  the 
Gospel  shone  upon  the  world.  There  were  still  false 
prophets,  and  the  criterion  by  which  they  were  to  be 
judged  remained  the  same:  it  was  still  the  Word  of  the 
Lord  which  endureth  for  ever.  "There  shall  arise  false 
Christs  and  false  prophets,  and  shall  show  great  signs 
and  wonders,  insomuch  that  if  it  were  possible  they 
shall  deceive  the  very  elect."  Matt.  24,  24.  The  duty  of 
vigilance,  that  we  may  beware  of  false  prophets,  can 
therefore  not  be  regarded  as  of  little  importance  by 
those  who  sincerely  desire  to  walk  in  the  narrow  way 
and  lay  hold  on  eternal  life.  "Beloved,  believe  not  every 
spirit,  but  try  the  spirits  whether  they  are  of  God;  be- 
cause many  false  prophets  liave  gone  out  into  the  world." 
1  John  4, 1. 

It  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  mind  of  Christ,  and 
is  neither  charitable  nor  wise  to  limit  the  warning  to 
extreme  cases,  in  which  the  design  of  Satan  to  destroy 


296  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

tlie  soul  is  immediately  apparent  and  the  false  prophet 
is  at  once  seen  to  be  in  malicious  league  with  him.  Such 
a  limitation  accords  with  the  spirit  of  those  who  are 
traveling  on  the  broad  road  that  leads  to  destruction, 
not  with  the  vigilant  and  cautious  spirit  of  those  who 
have  entered  the  strait  gate,  and  are  earnestly  intent 
upon  following  Christ  in  the  way  of  life.  The  danger  is 
great,  though  Satan's  devices  do  not  always  prove  suc- 
cessful, and  some  escape  the"  destruction  which  he  had 
planned  for  them.  One  must  disregard  the  solemn  teach- 
ing of  the  Bible  and  of  history,  if  he  would  accept  the 
alluring  assurances  of  false  prophets,  that  no  danger  is 
threatening  us  as  long  as  we  are  sincere  in  our  endeavors 
to  know  the  truth,  and  that  error  cannot  harm  us  unless 
it  directly  and  at  once  renounces  Christ  and  denies  Him 
to  be  the  way  and  the  truth  and  the  life.  The  under- 
mining of  the  Christian  foundation  is  the  known  pur- 
pose of  Satan's  work.  To  this  end  he  disseminates  his 
false  doctrines,  and  he  is  cunning  enough  not  to  begin  his 
undermining  process  by  telling  people  to  reject  the  Scrip- 
tures and  deny  that  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners.  He  has  made  a  good  start  if  he  has  instilled 
the  foolish  belief  that  a  little  leaven  can  not  leaven 
the  whole  lump,  and  that  danger  can  begin  only  when 
the  foundations  are  destroyed.  Many  false  prophets 
are  themselves  deceived,  and  do  their  deadly  work  in  the 
belief  that  they  are  rendering  God  service.  Certainly 
not  all  are  of  that  manifest  sort  who  openly  deny  Christ 
and  who  would  not  be  tolerated  in  any  Chvirch.  "There 
were  false  prophets  among  the  people,  even  as  there  shall 
be  false  teachers  among  you,  who  privily  shall  bring 
in  damnable  heresies,  even  denying  the  Lord  that  bought 
them,  and  bring  upon  themselves  swift  destruction.  And 
many  shall  follow  their  pernicious  ways,  by  reason  of 
whom  the  way  of  truth  shall  be  evil  -spoken  of."  2  Pet. 
2,  1.  2.     That  is  the  natural  outcome  of  all  satanic  lies 


THE   VOICE    OF    WARNING.  297 

that  are  spread  in  opposition  to  divine  truth.  If  they 
are  permitted  to  exert  their  deadly  power  and  are  un- 
hindered in  the  attainment  of  their  destructive  pur- 
pose, the  result  of  false  doctrine  must  be  dishonor  to 
the  Savior  and  death  to  the  soul,  as  the  proper  work  of 
the  truth  in  Jesus  is  glory  to  God,  and  salvation  to  man. 

But  there  are  manifold  hindrances  on  account  of 
which  causes  do  not  produce  their  peculiar  effects,  be- 
cause powers  meet  with  obstructions  and  are  resisted  by 
opposing  powers  that  neutralize  their  action.  It  i?  so  in 
the  whole  realm  of  sin  and  grace.  Not  all  sin  results 
in  death,  though  this  is  its  proper  consequence.  The 
wages  of  sin  is  death.  It  is  so  even  in  the  children  of 
God,  if  they  permit  it  to  work  out  its  inherent  power  and 
produce  its  natural  result.  "Every  man  is  tempted 
when  he  is  drawn  away  of  his  own  lust  and  enticed. 
Then  when  lust  hath  conceived,  it  bringeth  forth  sin: 
and  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth  death."  Jas. 
1,  14.  15.  If  sin  were  allowed  to  have  its  own  pernicious 
way,  not  a  soul  would  be  saved.  But  Christ  came  to 
save  us  from  our  sins  and  the  death  which  is  their  con- 
sequence. His  grace  is  sufficient  for  us  all,  so  that  now 
no  one  who  hears  the  Word  of  salvation  through  His 
atonement  need  perish.  But  grace,  too,  may  be  resisted 
so  that  it  does  not  always  produce  its  salutary  effects. 
Sin  hinders  its  saving  work;  and  if  it  is  persisted  in,  the 
grace  of  God  will  be  bestowed  in  vain,  and  death  will 
result,  notwithstanding  all  the  unspeakable  mercies  of 
God  to  rescue  the  sinner  from  its  proper  wages. 

Hence  is  apparent  the  wretched  unwisdom  of  those 
who  represent  the  warnings  of  our  Lord  against  false 
propliets  to  be  not  all  manner  of  teaching  and  living 
otherwise  than  God's  Word  teaches,  but  as  referring 
only  to  those  who  knowingly  seek  entirely  to  overthrow 
Christianity,  or  to  sins  tliat  are  so  radically  ruinous  as 
to  preclude  the  possibility  of  the  existence  or  the  con- 


298  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

tinuance  of  faith  in  the  soul,  and  therefore  to  shut  out 
the  remission  of  sins  and  eternal  life  which  grace  offers. 
Satan  has  gained  much  if  he  succeeds  in  leading  a  soul 
to  think  that  what  he  regards  as  little  departures  from 
the  truth  of  the  Gospel  or  the  strictness  of  the  law  are 
of  no  importance  and  may  safely  be  indulged  in,  as  long 
as  the  main  promises  and  requirements  are  retained. 
There  is  undoubtedly  a  difference  between  doctrines 
which  are  fundamental  and  others  which  are  not  so, 
and  between  sins  which  are  mortal  and  others  which 
are  venial.  But  the  distinction  which  is  of  moment  for 
questions  of  church  fellowship  and  for  consoling  the 
troubled  conscience,  is  mischievous  when  it  is  manip- 
ulated by  untaught  men  and  made  to  serve  the  purposes 
of  sin,  unintentional  though  this  may  be,  by  inducing 
others  to  imagine  that  some  errors  and  some  transgres- 
sions are  harmless,  and  require  neither  vigilance  to  avoid 
them  nor  repentance  to  escape  their  guilt.  The  love  of 
God,  who  would  keep  us  in  the  narrow  path  that  leads 
to  life,  tells  us  to  watch  and  pray  that  we  may  not  enter 
into  temptation,  and  to  resist  all  beginnings  of  unscrip- 
tural  influences;  and  it  impresses  the  admonition  upon 
us  to  "shun  profane  and  vain  babblings;  for  they  will 
increase  to  more  ungodliness,  and  their  word  will  eat  as 
doth  a  canker;  of  whom  is  Hymenseus  and  Philetus; 
who  concerning  the  truth  have  erred,  saying  that  the 
resurrection  is  past  already;  and  overthrow  the  faith  of 
some."  2  Tim.  2,  16-18.  And  the  warning  is  twice  given, 
referring  both  to  doctrine  and  life:  "Know  ye  not  that 
a  little  leaven  leaveneth  the  whole  lump?"  1  Cor.  5,  6; 
Gal.  5,  9. 

Some  false  prophets  do  not  scatter  opinions  that 
are  directly  subversive  of  the  whole  foundation  of  grace 
and  truth  on  which  Christian  faith  rests.  But  when 
they  refuse  to  submit  to  the  law  and  the  testimony  which 
is  written  in  the  Scriptures,  claiming  that  their  doctrine 


THE   VOICE    OF   WARNING.  299 

is  reasonable  and  must  be  right,  though  it  does  not  har- 
monize with  the  very  words  of  the  Bible,  the  Lord  ad- 
monishes us  to  beware  of  them,  whatever  their  excuses 
may  be  for  declining  to  accept  the  divine  testimony  as  it 
reads  and  whatever  their  profession  of  good  intentions 
may  be,  such  as  making  the  Word  of  God  more  palatable 
to  men  by  bringing  its  contents  into  better  harmony 
with  the  advancement  of  learning  and  the  changed  de- 
mands of  the  times.  No  reasons  can  justify  or  excuse 
the  wretched  wisdom  of  men  who  would  be  wiser  than 
God,  and  who  in  such  folly  presume  to  correct  the  eter- 
nal truth  of  Scripture,  by  which  we  must  all  be  judged 
on  the  last  day,  and  against  which  nothing  can  stand 
when  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away.  Therefore 
those  who  are  wise  will  heed  the  admonition:  "Be  not 
carried  about  with  divers  and  strange  doctrines;  for  it 
is  a  good  thing  that  the  heart  be  established  with  grace." 
Heb.  13,  9. 

Whether  the  men  who  teach  false  doctrines  mean 
well  or  ill  is,  so  far  as  our  Lord's  command  to  beware 
of  them  is  concerned,  not  the  question  which  it  places 
before  the  Christian  conscience.  Whoever  they  may  be 
or  whatever  they  may  be,  we  must  beware  of  the  teach- 
ing that  conflicts  with  God's  Word.  That  Word  is  in- 
fallibly sure,  and  he  who  believes  it  has  certainty  of  the 
truth  which  it  declares.  Adverse  opinions  of  man  can- 
not render  it  questionable.  Hence  the  apostle  could 
write:  "As  we  said  before,  so  say  I  now  again,  if  any 
man  preach  any  other  gospel  unto  you  than  that  ye 
have  received,  let  him  be  accursed."  Gal  1,  9.  Even 
supposing  that  one  who  teaches  doctrines  inconsistent 
with  those  given  by  revelation  of  God  lias  no  wicked 
design,  being  deceived  ratlier  tlian  a  deceiver,  the  soul 
that  continues  in  the  Lord's  Word,  and  therefore  knows 
the  truth,  must  beware  of  him.  Charity  as  well  as  fi- 
delity to  the  Savior  requires  this;  for  the  nature  of  error 


300  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

being  to  spread  and  ultimately  to  destroy,  true  love 
cannot  refrain  from  preventing  the  operation  of  the  per- 
nicious power  so  far  as  this  is  possible.  "Now  I  beseech 
you,  brethren,  mark  them  which  cause  divisions  and 
offences  contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  ye  have  learned, 
and  avoid  them.  For  they  that  are  such  serve  not  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  their  own  belly,  and  by  good 
words  and  fair  speeches  deceive  the  hearts  of  the  simple." 
Rom.  16,  17.  18. 

The  fact  that  the  warnings  against  the  false  prophets 
generally  directed  attention  to  the  deadly  results  of  their 
false  teaching,  when  it  works  out  its  natural  power  and 
reaches  its  natural  end,  has  led  many  a  careless  reader  to 
conclude  that  a  professed  teacher  is  a  false  prophet  only 
when  he  is  consciously  an  enemy  of  the  truth  revealed  in 
Scripture,  and  when  his  teaching  subverts  the  foundation 
of  Christianity  and  renders  it  impossible  for  him  and 
his  followers  to  be  Christians.  Much  damage  has  been 
done  in  the  Church  by  such  superficial  reasoning.  Vital 
truths  have  been  pronounced  indifferent,  the  vigilance 
of  earnest  Christians  has  been  relaxed,  and  consciences 
that  were  standing  in  awe  of  God's  Word  have  been 
gradually  rendered  obdurate  by  the  repeated  assurances 
that  a  little  leaven  of  sin  is  attended  with  no  danger  as 
long  as  it  is  not  of  a  kind,  in  doctrine  or  life,  to  pro- 
duce immediate  death.  The  warning  against  it  is  given 
because  its  nature  is  to  produce  death,  and  it  eateth 
as  doth  a  canker,  so  that  if  it  is  admitted  into  the  soul 
and  treated  as  harmless,  death  will  surely  come  as  its 
inevitable  result.  The  contention  that  our  Lord's  de- 
scription of  the  false  prophets  as  persons  "who  come  to 
you  in  sheep's  clothing  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening 
wolves,"  shows  that  only  bold,  bad  men,  who  lie  in  wait 
to  deceive  and  delight  in  destroying  souls,  are  meant  by 
the  term  false  prophets,  is  a  specimen  of  such  superficial 
interpretation  that  breaks  the  force  of  the  words  of  warn- 


THE   VOICE    OF   WARNING.  301 

ing  spoken  in  love;  and  the  sentimental  appeal  to  the 
sympathies  of  our  nature,  intimating  that  it  would  be 
unkind  in  the  extreme  to.  stigmatize  a  Koman  bishop  as 
a  false  prophet  because  of  his  Romish  errors,  though  he 
is  regarded  by  the  whole  community  as  a  good  man,  is  of 
the  same  sort  as  the  contention  which  it  is  designed  to 
support.  But  our  Lord  does  not  say  that  the  false 
prophets  are  all  designing  knaves  who  have  no  mercy  for 
sinful  men,  who  all  know  that  they  are  ravening  wolves, 
who  put  on  their  sheep's  clothing  to  gain  access  to  the 
flock  in  order  to  devour  the  sheep,  and  who  have  as  little 
regard  for  the  Word  of  God  as  they  have  for  the  salvation 
of  souls.  He  does  not  tell  us  to  judge  their  hearts  and 
to  declare  them  false  prophets  because  they  are  ungodly 
men,  who  are  consciously  serving  the  devil  and  gather- 
ing recruits  for  his  truculent  army  of  enemies  of  God  and 
all  righteousness.  Such  judging  of  the  hearts  of  men, 
whether  they  are  teachers  or  not,  is  God's  prerogative, 
and  our  Lord  not  only  does  not  require  us  to  exercise 
it,  but  has  in  this  very  sermon  on  the  mount  strictly  for- 
bidden it.  What  He  does  here  say  is  this,  that  the  false 
prophets  appear  like  innocent  and  harmless  sheep,  but 
are  in  reality  destructive  and  dangerous  wolves,  and 
that  we  must  be  on  our  guard  that  we  may  not  be  de- 
ceived by  appearances.  Outwardly  they  present  them- 
selves as  sheep,  of  whom  we  would  suspect  no  evil;  but 
that  does  not  excuse  us  from  the  exercise  of  that  vigi- 
lance which  God  enjoins  and  which  the  eternal  interests 
at  stake  demand.  The  divine  injunction  is:  "Be  not 
carried  about  with  divers  and  strange  doctrines;  for  it  is 
a  good  thing  that  the  heart  be  established  with  grace." 
Heb.  13,  9.  Tlio  truth  alone  can  make  us  free  and  save 
the  soul,  and  many  false  teachers  have  gone  out  into 
the  world  whose  false  teaching  tends  to  undermine  our 
faith  and  divert  us  from  the  path  of  life.  Therefore  we 
must  "prove  all  things  and  hold  fast  that  which  is  good." 


302  THE   SERMON   ON   THE   MOUNT. 

1  Thess.  5,  21.  When  the  prophets  come  to  us  out- 
wardly in  sheep's  clothing,  it  is  so  far  well;  but  we  must 
look  further  and  ascertain  whether  they  are  inwardly, 
in  deed  and  in  truth,  what  they  profess  to  be.  "Beloved, 
believe  not  every  spirit,  but  try  the  spirits  whether  they 
are  of  God:  because  many  false  prophets  have  gone  out 
into  the  world."  1  John  4,  1.  If  men  come  to  us  with 
a  message  ostensibly  from  heaven,  but  which  is  in  con- 
flict with  the  Word  which"  God  has  given  us  for  our 
guidance,  our  duty  is  to  avoid  them  as  false  prophets.  The 
question  whether  they  have  a  malicious  purpose,  or  are 
ignorantly  misled,  God  will  decide.  Both  our  devotion  to 
the  glory  of  God  and  our  care  for  the  salvation  of  our  souls 
make  this  plain.    We  must  beware  of  false  prophets. 

Enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ  who  set  out  as  teach- 
ers with  the  conscious  intention  of  leading  souls  away 
from  Christ  and  keeping  them  on  the  broad  way  which 
ends  in  destruction,  would  accomplish  but  little  in  the 
churches  if  they  openly  avowed  their  pernicious  purpose. 
They  would  then  be  ravening  wolves  who  do  not  come  in 
sheep's  clothing,  but  boldly  manifest  themselves  as 
wolves,  and  they  would  be  shunned  by  all  who  desire  to 
escape  the  damnation  of  hell.  It  is  not  the  notoriously 
wicked  infidel  that  does  the  greatest  mischief  among  the 
peoi3le  interested  in  religious  truth.  The  success  of 
false  teachers  is  largely  owing  to  their  claim  of  being  true 
teachers.  They  come  in  sheep's  clothing  and  thus  gain 
access  to  the  churches.  This  sheep's  clothing  is  of  course 
not  any  avowal  of  deviation  from  the  Scriptures  in 
doctrine  or  life,  but  their  profession  of  soundness  in  the 
faith  and  their  regard  for  holy  living.  On  this  account 
they  are  regarded  by  Christian  believers  as  brethren  and 
welcomed  in  their  congregations  as  such.  The  mischief 
which  they  do  there  is  made  possible  by  their  wearing 
the  garb  of  true  prophets  and  thus  securing  the  people's 
confidence. 


THE    VOICE    OF   WARNING.  303 

Among  those  who  have  rejected  the  Divinity  of 
Christ  and  tauc'ht  the  people  to  regard  Him  merely  as 
a  good  man  whose  doctrine  was  sublime  and  whose  life 
was  exemplary,  there  were  some  men  who  were  generally 
recognized  as  upright  and  lovable.  But  this  does  not 
alter  the  instruction  given  us:  "Whosoever  transgress- 
eth,  and  abideth  not  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  hath  not 
God.  He  that  abideth  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  he 
hath  both  the  Father  and  the  Son.  If  there  come  any 
unto  you  and  bring  not  this  doctrine,  receive  him  not 
into  your  house,  neither  bid  him  God  speed:  for  he  that 
biddeth  liim  God  speed  is  partaker  of  his  evil  deeds." 
2  John  9,  11.  Some  Jesuits  are  distinguished  for  their 
self-denying  zeal  in  what  they  regard  as  the  cause  of 
Christianity.  But  they  do  not  cease  on  that  account 
to  be  false  prophets,  of  whom  all  who  would  save  their 
souls  should  beware.  The  sentimentalism  that  shrinks 
from  applying  the  term  to  those  who  teach  otherwise 
than  God's  Word  teaches,  because  these  appear  to  be 
good  men,  is  not  of  God  and  does  not  promote  godliness. 

Our  Lord  bids  His  disciples  to  beware  of  the  false 
prophets,  which  implies  that  it  is  possible  to  distin- 
guish them  and  avoid  them.  "Ye  shall  know  them  by 
their  fruits.  Do  men  gather  grapes  of  tliorns  or  figs 
of  thistles?  Even  so  every  good  tree  bringeth  forth 
good  fruit,  but  a  corrupt  tree  bringeth  forth  evil  fruit." 
1'he  fruit  indicates  the  kind  of  tree,  and  we  are  not  ex- 
cusable if  we  mistake  thornbushes  and  thistles  for  grape- 
vines and  fig  trees.  Unfortunately  many  commentators 
on  the  passage  have  made  it  difficult  to  apply  the  test 
which  seems  so  simple,  and  have  led  multitudes  of  the 
common  people  to  think  it  impracticable  and  to  pass  it 
by  as  useless.  The  fruits  are  represented  as  the  good 
works  and  holy  lives  of  teachers,  who  are  supposed  to 
become  manifest  as  false  prophets  when  these  fruits  do 
not  appear.     But  is  a  man  teaching  false  doctrine  be- 


304  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

cause  he  fails  himself  to  walk  by  the  holy  rule  which  he 
teaches?  "Then  spake  Jesus  to  the  multitude  and  to  His 
disciples,  saying,  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  sit  in  Moses' 
seat:  all  therefore  whatsoever  they  bid  you  observe,  that 
observe  and  do;  but  do  not  ye  after  their  works,  for 
they  say  and  do  not."  Matt.  23,  1-3.  As  long  as  they 
teach  right  they  are  not  to  be  avoided  as  false  prophets; 
if  their  example  does  not  agree  with  their  teaching,  we 
must  beware  of  their  bad  example,  not  of  their  good 
instruction,  by  reason  of  which  they  are  true  prophets. 
It  is  not  the  fact  that  all  false  teachers  are  manifest  by 
their  ungodly  living  before  the  eyes  of  all  people,  and 
it  is  unjust  to  judge  men  and  churches  by  such  a  cri- 
terion. False  teachers  sometimes  lead  blameless  lives, 
so  far  as  appearances  can  be  an  indication,  and  teachers 
of  the  truth  sometimes  do  not  adorn  the  doctrine  with 
holy  lives  as  they  should.  The  criterion  thus  set  forth 
is  neither  true  nor  charitable,  and  there  is  no  warrant  for 
it  in  the  words  or  the  works  of  our  Savior.  Eather  such 
sanctity  is  the  sheep's  clothing  in  which  the  wolves  come 
to  us,  and  by  which  the  people  are  deceived.  An  unholy 
life  is  a  disgrace  to  the  teacher  and  mars  his  influence 
for  good,  but  it  does  not  make  him  a  false  prophet.  As 
long  as  he  teaches  the  truth  of  God's  Word  he  is  a  true 
prophet,  much  as  he  may  merit  rebuke  and  ultimately 
expulsion  as  a  false  Christian. 

The  fruit  of  a  prophet  or  teacher  is  his  prophesying 
or  teaching.  By  this  he  is  to  be  judged  as  a  prophet.  It 
does  not  require  special  proof  that  every  Christian  teacher 
is  required  to  be  a  Christian  believer.  No  one  should  be 
called  to  be  a  leader  of  Christ's  flock  who  is  not  himself  a 
follower  of  Christ.  All  that  is  possible  should  be  done 
to  shut  out  from  the  holy  ministry  men  who  do  not  repent 
and  believe  the  Gospel.  The  prophet  should  be  a  Chris- 
tian man,  who  is  sound  in  the  faith,'  and  sincerely  follows 
after  holiness,  as  is  required  and  expected  of  every  disciple 


THE    VOICE    OF    WARNING.  305 

of  Christ.  He  is  a  Christian  brother  among  Christian 
brethren,  whose  greatest  glory  is  not  that  he  is  a  prophet, 
but  that  he  is  a  child  of  God  and  an  heir  of  heaven. 
Higher  than  this  he  cannot  rise  on  earth.  But  the  shep- 
herd of  the  flock  of  our  Lord  has  an  important  and  re- 
sponsible office  in  the  fold.  He  is  the  teacher  of  the  Word 
of  life,  which  is  the  power  of  God  unto  the  salvation  of 
the  people.  If  he  teaches  the  truth,  of  which  the  Son  of 
God  came  unto  the  world  to  bear  witness,  this  truth 
will  make  free  every  soul  that  believes  it;  if  he  teaches 
his  own  opinions  and  endeavors  to  palm  these  off 
as  the  light  from  on  high  that  leads  to  everlasting  glory, 
he  leaves  the  people  in  their  darkness  and  death,  for  such 
teaching  has  no  power  to  regenerate  and  save.  "In  vain  do 
they  worship  me,"  saith  our  Savior,  "teaching  for  doc- 
trines the  commandments  of  men."  Matt.  15,  9.  Instead  of 
teaching  opinions  and  ordinances  of  men,  the  prophet  must 
set  forth  the  truth  given  by  revelation  of  God,  and  rebuke 
the  "unruly  and  vain  talkers  and  deceivers,  specially  them 
of  the  circumcision,  whose  mouths  must  be  stopped,  who 
subvert  whole  houses."  "Wherefore  rebuke  them  sharply, 
that  they  may  be  sound  in  the  faith,  not  giving  heed  to 
Jewish  fables  and  commandments  of  men,  that  turn  from 
the  truth."  Titus  1,  10-12.  The  fruit  which  the  teacher 
bears  as  a  prophet  is  the  doctrine  that  he  teaches.  This 
must  be  tested  by  the  Word  of  God,  which  is  written  for 
our  learning  in  Holy  Scripture.  To  this  the  teacher  and 
the  taught  have  access  and  are  alike  bound.  Of  the  teach- 
er it  is  required  that  he  be  found  faithful,  "holding  fast 
the  faithful  Word,  as  he  hath  been  taught,  that  he  may  be 
able  by  sound  doctrine  both  to  exhort  and  to  convince  the 
gainsayers."  Tit.  1,  9.  If  he  does  not  do  this,  tlie  faith- 
ful members  of  the  flock,  determined  to  continue  in  the 
Word  by  which  they  try  his  doctrine,  must  admonish  him, 
and  if  he  persists  in  his  false  teaching  they  liave  no  alter- 

20 


806  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

native  but  to  exclude  him  as  a  false  prophet.  "Every  tree 
that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down  and  cast 
into  the  fire."  False  teaching  must  be  rejected  under  all 
circumstances,  and  that  involves  the  rejection  of  the  teach- 
er who  will  not  abandon  his  error. 

2.  "Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  Me  Lord,  Lord, 
shall  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  he  that  doeth  the 
will  of  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Many  will  say  to 
Me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in 
Thy  name?  and  in  Thy  name  have  cast  out  devils?  and  in 
Thy  name  done  many  wonderful  works?  And  then  will  I 
profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew  you :  depart  from  Me 
ye  that  work  iniquity."  The  connection  of  this  with  the 
foregoing  warning  against  false  prophets  is  evident.  False 
teaching  leads  many  astray,  who  are  induced  to  imagine 
that,  if  they  only  accept  the  form  of  Christianity  in  what 
they  regard  as  its  main  feature  of  calling  upon  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  they  shall  inherit  its  promises.  Some  false  proph- 
ets themselves  are  not  disposed  openly  to  reject  Christ 
and  subvert  the  foundation  of  man's  salvation  through 
the  gracious  plan  which  is  revealed  in  Him.  They  would 
be  Christians,  and  their  departures  from  the  Gospel  are 
not  such  that  all  Christians  must  deny  their  claim  to  be 
disciples  of  Christ  and  to  the  hope  of  eternal  life  through 
His  name.  Some  of  these  prophets  are  themselves  de- 
ceived by  the  same  falsities  with  which  they  deceive  others. 
But  although  even  whole  congregations  and  denominations 
may  be  misled  into  the  acceptance  and  promulgation  of 
dangerous  doctrines,  so  that  their  churches  must  be  rec- 
ognized as  Christian  because  they  still  retain  enough  of  the 
truth  to  save  the  souls  of  sincere  believers,  in  whom  this 
truth,  not  the  false  doctrine,  becomes  effective,  the  deceiv- 
ers and  hypocrites  will  not  forever  pass  as  true  disciples  of 
Christ.  On  the  judgment  day  the  Lord  who  searcheth 
the  hearts  and  judgeth  righteous  judgment,  will  profess 
that  He  never  knew  them  as  true  believers  and  will  then, 


THE    VOICE    OF   WARNING.  307 

as  He  does  now,  refuse  to  recognize  them  as  members 
of  His  kingdom,  because  they  have  refused  to  own  Him 
as  the  King  and  to  bow  to  the  scepter  of  His  Word.  Mean- 
time the  sincere  believers,  in  whom  the  false  teaching  has 
not  become  effective  to  undermine  their  faith,  although 
they  had  the  misfortune  to  live  in  congregations  that  were 
under  the  guidance  of  false  prophets,  are  saved,  as  are 
^11  other  Christian  believers,  by  the  faith  which  clings 
to  the  Savior,  and  in  Him  have  daily  and  richly  the  for- 
giveness of  sins  and  inherit  eternal  life  through  His  merits. 
The  warning  in  the  verses  before  us  is  general.  There 
are  mai^y  who  say,  "Lord,  Lord,"  thus  professing  to  be 
His  subjects  in  the  kingdom  of  grace,  but  who  do  not 
stand  in  awe  of  His  Word  and  whom,  because  they  do 
not  repent  and  believe  the  (Jospel,  He  does  not  own  as 
His  disciples.  Tlie  number  of  those  is  large  who  flatter 
themselves  that  membership  in  the  visible  Church  and 
external  performance  of  the  duties  which  this  involves  is 
a  sufficient  guarantee  of  their  salvation,  overlooking  the 
essential  truth  that  the  promise  of  eternal  life  is  given 
only  to  those  who  believe  with  their  hearts  as  well  as 
confess  with  their  lips.  They  deceive  themselves.  "If 
any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  His." 
Rom.  8,  9.  No  membership  in  the  external  church  organ- 
ization and  no  zeal  and  activity  in  the  external  work  of 
the  Church  can  supply  the  place  of  faith  in  the  heart  which 
embraces  the  Savior  and  appropriates  His  righteousness. 
"For  by  grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith ;  and  that  not  of 
yourselves :  it  is  the  gift  of  God :  not  of  works,  lest  any 
man  should  boast."  Eph.  2,  8,  9..  The  warning  given  by 
our  Lord  cannot  be  emphasized  too  much  and  too  often : 
"Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me.  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom,  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  Mj  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."  And  because  false  prophets  do  not 
cease  to  magnify  human  ability  and  merit  and  preach 
salvation  by  human  effort  and  righteousness,  too  much 


308  THE   SERMON   ON   THE   MOUNT. 

stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  our  Lord's  own  instruction 
concerning  our  salvation,  that  we  make  no  mistake  as  to 
what  is  the  will  of  our  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  When 
Jesus  was  asked,  "What  shall  we  do  that  we  might  work 
the  works  of  God?"  He  "answered  and  said  unto  them, 
This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye  believe  in  Him,  whom 
He  hath  sent."  John  6,  29.  So  to  the  great  question, 
"What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  the  constant  answer  is, 
"Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved." 
This  is  unquestionably  the  work  of  God  in  this  sense  also, 
that  God  the  Holy  Spirit  works  faith  in  our  hearts.  But 
it  is  the  one  needful  work  which  the  sinner  must  do  to 
execute  the  Father's  will,  which  is  our  salvation,  and  for 
the  accomplishment  of  which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  given  us 
through  the  means  of  grace,  since  by  our  own  reason  or 
strength  we  cannot  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  or  come  to  Him. 
If  any  one  would  do  the  will  of  our  Father  which  is  in 
heaven,  let  him  repent  of  his  sins  and  believe  the  Gospel. 
"This  is  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me,  that  every  one  which 
seeth  the  Son  and  believeth  on  Him,  may  have  everlasting 
life."  John  6,  40.  This  is  in  no  respect  inconsistent  with 
the  declaration  that  the  will  of  God  is  our  sanctification. 
Certainly  God  would  have  us  walk  in  the  way  of  His 
commandments,  which  is  the  way  of  holiness  and  good 
works.  But  His  will  is  first  of  all  to  save  us  from  the 
sin  and  death  that  have  come  upon  us.  This  can  be  done 
only  by  faith  in  the  Savior,  who  was  delivered  for  our 
offences  and  raised  again  for  our  justification.  Then  we 
are  qualified  for  further  obedience  to  His  will  as  His 
peculiar  people,  who  glorify  His  name  by  a  right  con- 
fession in  doctrine  and  life  according  to  His  Word.  So 
far  is  the  proposition,  that  doing  the  will  of  the  Father  is 
believing  in  Christ,  from  being  in  conflict  with  the  other 
proposition,  that  doing  the  will  of  the  Father  is  keeping 
His  commandments,  that  the  latter,  is  conditioned  by  the 
former.     No  one  can  walk  in  the  law  of  the  Lord  until 


THE   VOICE    OF   WARNING.  309 

he  has  received  power  from  on  liigh  through  faith  in  the 
Redeemer,  who  is  the  way  and  the  truth  and  the  life. 
Therefore  when  the  apostle  has  declared  that  we  are  saved 
by  grace  through  faith,  that  this  is  a  gift  of  God,  not  a 
product  of  our  own  power,  and  that  it  is  not  of  works, 
lest  any  man  should  boast,  he  immediately  adds:  "For 
we  are  His  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto 
good  works,  which  God  hath  before  ordained  that  we 
sliould  walk  in  them."    Eph.  2,  10. 

A  difficulty  has  been  found  in  the  statement,  that  the 
persons  who  hypocritically  say  Lord,  Lord,  and  whom 
the  Lord  refuses  to  recognize  as  His  disciples,  have  cast 
out  devils  and  done  many  wonderful  works  in  His  name. 
The  assumption  is  that  only  true  believers  could  per- 
form such  miracles.  But  the  difficulty  is  not  formidable. 
There  certainly  is  no  ground,  on  the  basis  of  such  an  as- 
sumption, to  make  the  ill-natured  charge  that  the  Scrip- 
tures contradict  themselves.  They  state  the  truth,  which 
Christians  accept,  whether  they  can  give  a  satisfactory 
explanation  of  its  implications  or  not.  But  there  is 
nothing  dark  or  perplexing  in  the  case  before  us.  Even 
on  the  gratuitous  assumption  of  fault-finders,  that  no  in- 
sincere person  could  perform  wonderful  works  in  Jesus' 
name,  there  is  no  contradiction  involved;  for  these  hypo- 
crites may  be  putting  forth  a  false  claim  when  they  ap- 
peal to  the  miracles  which  they  have  performed,  or  they 
may  have  performed  them  before  they  had  fallen  away 
and  their  godliness  had  become  a  mere  form.  But  the 
assumption  on  which  the  objection  is  founded  is  itself 
unfounded.  "For  there  shall  arise  false  Christs  and 
false  prophets  and  shall  show  great  signs  and  wonders, 
insomuch  that,  if  it  were  possible,  they  shall  deceive  the 
very  elect."  Matt.  24,  24.  This  is  indeed  one  of  the  notes 
of  Antichrist,  "whose  coming  is  after  the  working  of 
Satan  with  all  power  and  signs  and  lying  wonders,  and 
with  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness  in  them  that 


310  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

perish."  2  Thess.  2,  9. 10.  The  Word  must  stand,  and  no 
signs  and  wonders  be  allowed  to  lead  us  away  from  that. 

Our  Lord's  warning  is  always  timely.  Satan  is  ever 
seeking  to  deceive  us ;  the  world  offers  powerful  seductions 
to  lure  Christians  away  from  the  only  hope  of  life;  and 
the  flesh,  which  is  always  reluctant  to  follow  the  motions 
of  the  Spirit,  renders  all  the  solicitations  of  the  world 
and  the  devil  plausible.  We  are  all  too  prone  to  think 
that  all  is  well  as  long  as  we  continue  to  say  Lord,  Lord, 
and  are  not  conscious  of  any  deliberate  purpose  to  re- 
nounce the  Savior.  The  deceitfulness  of  our  own  hearts 
prevents  us  from  seeing  the  dangers  that  so  easily  beset 
us,  and  gradually  habits  of  indifference  are  formed  to 
what  seem  unimportant  portions  of  revealed  truth  and 
slight  deviations  from  the  law  of  righteousness.  And 
these  things  grow  upon  us  while  we  slumber.  Each 
addition  appears  but  a  little  thing,  until  the  little  leaven 
has  leavened  the  whole  lump  and  we  have  a  name  to  live, 
but  are  dead.  "Be  sober,  be  vigilant;  because  your  ad- 
versary the  devil  as  a  roaring  lion  walketh  about,  seek- 
ing whom  he  may  devour:  whom  resist,  steadfast  in  the 
faith."  1  Pet.  5,  8^.  9. 

The  voice  of  warning  which  our  Lord  gives  us  is 
full  of  love  and  wisdom,  and  the  Spirit  in  our  hearts  en- 
treats us  to  hear  it  and  heed  it.  Beware  of  false  proph- 
ets, who  come  indeed  in  sheep's  clothing,  but  whose 
work,  whether  intentional  or  not,  is  that  of  the  wolf. 
And  beware  of  the  self-deceit  which  thinks  itself  secure 
while  it  says  Lord,  Lord,  though  the  heart  is  not  in  it. 
"Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation." 


SECTION  XVI. 

The  Wise  Builder. 

( Matthew  7,  24-27. ) 

^^^HE  great  sermon  concludes  with  a  comparison  of 
^1^  the  hearer's  attitude  towards  it  to  the  building 
of  a  house.  Some  are  wise  and  some  are  foolish. 
One  man  builds  on  a  rock,  and  the  structure  withstands 
all  the  elements  of  destruction;  another  builds  on  the 
sand,  and  when  the  storms  come  it  is  swept  away.  One 
hears  the  Lord's  words,  believes  them,  and  continues 
steadfast  until  the  end  and  is  saved.  Another  hears 
them  and  gives  no  heed,  perliaps  scoffs  at  them,  or  learns 
to  say  Lord,  Lord,  but  refuses  to  open  his  heart  to  em- 
brace the  consolation,  and  receives  the  grace  of  God  in 
vain.  Alas,  that  among  the  many  for  whom  Christ  died 
so  few  are  wise  and  accept  the  great  salvation! 

"Therefore  whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine, 
and  doeth  them.  I  will  liken  him  unto  a  wise  man,  which 
built  his  house  upon  a  rock;  and  the  rain  descended,  and 
the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon  that 
house;  and  it  fell  not:  for  it  Avas  founded  upon  a  rock. 
And  every  one  that  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and 
doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man,  which 
built  his  house  upon  the  sand:  and  the  rain  descended, 
and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat 
upon  that  house;  and  it  fell :  and  great  was  the  fall  of  it." 
The  words  with  which  tlie  sermon  ends  have  a  dole- 
ful sound,  suggesting  the  solemn  words  of  the  prophet: 
"The  harvest  is  past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and  we  are 
not  saved.     For  the  hurt  of  the  daughter  of  my  people 

311 


312  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

am  I  hurt;  I  am  black;  astonishment  hath  taken  hold  on 
me.  Is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead?  is  there  no  physician 
there?  why  then  is  not  the  health  of  the  daughter  of  my 
people  recovered"?  Jer.  8,  20-22.  But  it  need  not  be  a 
despairing  cry  that  goes  up  when  the  words  come  to  our 
ears.  They  are  spoken  as  a  warning,  not  as  the  closing 
of  the  doors  of  grace  on  a  sinful  generation.  The  harvest 
is  not  yet  past  for  us  who  read,  and  there  is  a  balm  in 
Gilead,  and  there  is  a  physician  there,  that  the  mortal 
wounds  of  sin  may  yet  be  healed  by  Him  who  is  mighty 
to  save  when  all  earthly  skill  and  power  have  failed. 
The  Lord  Jesus,  who  speaks  the  words,  still  lives  and 
still  calls  to  all  of  us :  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  We  who 
read,  still  have  time  to  build  wiselj^,  that  our  house  may 
not  fall  when  the  tempest  comes.  These  things  are 
written  for  our  learning:  "he  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let 
him  hear."  "Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time,  behold, 
now  is  the  day  of  salvation."    2  Cor.  6,  2. 

Exhortations  to  hear  the  Word  of  God  abound  in 
Holy  Scripture.  The  reason  of  this  is  evident.  God 
does  His  gracious  work  through  His  Word.  "By  the 
Word  of  the  Lord  were  the  heavens  made,  and  all  the 
host  of  them  by  the  breath  of  His  mouth."  Ps.  33,  6.  The 
preservation  of  all  things  is  effected  by  the  same  power 
and  means  by  which  they  were  created.  He  "upholdeth 
all  things  by  the  Word  of  His  power."  Heb.  1,  3.  And 
the  Word  of  His  grace  and  power  is  the  means  also  by 
which  He  reaches  and  influences  the  hearts  of  men.  "I 
am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ;  for  it  -is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth." 
Kom.  1,  16.  Hence  all  spiritual  life  depends  on  the  sin- 
ner's hearing  the  heavenly  truth  and  receiving  its 
heavenly  power,  "being  born  again,  not  of  corruptible 
seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the  Word  of  God,  which 
liveth  and  abideth  for  ever.     For  all  flesh  is  as  grass, 


TFIK    WISE    BUILDER.  313 

and  all  the  glory  of  man  as  the  flower  of  grass.  The 
grass  withoreth,  and  tlio  flower  thereof  falleth  away;  but 
tlie  Word  of  the  Lord  endureth  for  ever.  And  this  is 
the  Word  which  by  the  Gospel  is  preached  unto  you." 
1  Pet.  1,  23-25.  This  Word  must  therefore  be  heard,  if 
God's  will  is  to  be  done  by  men  and  in  men.  But  hearing 
and  reading  the  Word  is  not  all  that  is  required.  If  we 
merely  hear  it,  and  stop  at  that,  the  purpose  for  which 
God  gave  it  is  not  attained.  It  is  the  means  by  which 
He  would  work  faith  in  our  hearts  unto  salvation  and 
sanctifj^  us  for  His  service  and  glory.  Alas,  that  so 
many  to  whom  this  word  of  salvation  is  sent  allow  them- 
selves to  be  deceived  by  the  vain  thought,  that  if  they 
only  hear  the  Word  they  are  doing  a  good  work  and  acquire 
the  merit  of  it,  and  that  this  is  enough  for  such  as  would  be 
plain  Christians  and  make  no  profession  to  be  saints.  The 
Word  is  given  us  as  a  means  of  God's  grace,  and  accom- 
plishes that  whereunto  it  is  sent  only  when  it  is  received 
into  the  heart  by  faith.  "Let  us  therefore  fear  lest,  a  prom- 
ise being  left  us  of  entering  into  His  rest,  any  of  you  should 
seem  to  come  short  of  it.  For  unto  us  was  the  Gospel 
preached  as  well  as  unto  them;  but  the  Word  preached 
did  not  profit  them,  not  being  mixed  with  faith  in  them 
that  heard  it.  For  we  which  have  believed  do  enter  into 
rest."  Heb.  4,  1-3.  Therefore  "receive  with  meekness 
the  engrafted  Word,  which  is  able  to  save  your  souls. 
But  be  ye  doers  of  the  Word,  not  hearers  only,  deceiving 
your  own  selves."  Jas.  1,  22.  23. 

This  self-deception  is  nothing  wonderful  in  this 
world  of  sin,  strange  as  it  may  seem  when  it  occurs 
among  those  who  have  the  light  of  the  Gospel  and  pro- 
fess to  be  Christians.  The  natural  heart  is  prone  to  it. 
Tlie  impulses  of  our  nature  are  not  in  accord  with  the 
righteousness  of  God.  To  follow  the  W^ord  of  truth 
revealed  from  heaven  requires  the  renunciation  of  self. 
"Then  said  Jesus  unto  His  disciples,  if  any  man  will 


314  THE   SERMON   ON    THE    MOUNT. 

come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his 
cross  and  follow  me."  Matt.  16,  24.  This  is  not  the  easy 
task  which  some  imagine  it  to  be.  Our  nature  strives 
to  retain  its  sense  of  its  own  power  and  importance,  and 
reason  therefore  exerts  its  energies,  when  the  Word  of 
God  is  heard  and  conscience  is  awakened,  to  bring  this 
Word  into  harmony  with  its  own  inclinations.  The  right- 
eousness which  God  requires  is  thus  reduced  to  the  civil 
righteousness  of  external  works  which  nature  approves,^ 
and  the  outward  work  is  substituted  for  the  inward  holi- 
ness which  the  divine  law  demands.  The  good  deeds  per- 
formed and  the  natural  sympathies  of  our  hearts  with 
the  form  of  piety  thus  produced  are  readily  mistaken  for 
obedience  to  the  Word,  and  the  self-deception  is  accom- 
plished. The  Pharisees,  who  were  the  best  product  of 
legal  righteousness  in  their  day,  and  many  of  whom  were 
no  doubt  sincere  in  their  profession  to  be  disciples  of 
Moses,  may  be  cited  as  a  notable  example.  The  Roman- 
ists furnish  a  similar  case  in  Christendom.  They  profess 
to  be  followers  of  Christ,  and  no  doubt  many  of  them 
are  sincere  in  their  profession.  But  they  deceive  them- 
selves when  they  presume  that  their  submission  to  the 
pope  and  their  devotion  to  the  papal  system  of  work- 
righteousness  is  accepting  Christ  as  their  Savior  and  fol- 
lowing Him.  It  is  pitiful  that  such  large  numbers  of 
nominal  Christians,  at  least  some  of  whom  are  no  doubt 
sincere  in  their  desire  to  escape  the  damnation  that  is 
denounced  against  sin  and  to  flee  for  refuge  to  the  Savior, 
are  deluded  by  the  fancy  that  their  own  righteousness 
will  save  them,  while  they  obey  a  corrupt  Church  that 
teaches  for  doctrines  the  commandments  of  men  and  is 
satisfied  with  the  form  of  godliness.  Thus  it  comes 
that  notwithstanding  the  clear  light  given  us  in  Holy 
Scripture  and  the  earnest  warning  not  to  be  deceived, 
many  build  their  house  upon  the  sand.' 


THE   WISE   BUILDER.  315 

When  the  rains  descend  and  the  floods  come  and  the 
winds  blow,  the  inevitable  happens  to  those  who,  though 
they  desire  to  be  recognized  as  Christians,  have  only  a 
natural  religion  in  a  Christian  garb.  Some  have  trusted 
in  the  science  which  this  world  teaches,  and  which  flat- 
ters them  with  the  thought  that  it  furnishes  all  that 
need  be  known  or  can  be  known  of  created  things,  or  of 
an  alleged  Creator  of  man  and  the  earth  on  which  he 
lives,  and  of  their  ultimate  destiny.  But  this  revelation 
in  nature,  though  good  and  profitable  for  the  uses  of 
this  world,  knows  no  Savior  and  nothing  of  the  purpose 
of  God  in  regard  to  man  after  death  has  ended  his  earth- 
ly career.  Some  have  professed  acceptance  of  the  Gospel 
and  its  glorious  hopes  of  eternal  blessedness  through 
the  atoning  blood  of  Christ,  but  have  failed  to  let  the 
law  expose  to  them  their  sin  and  reveal  to  them  the  divine 
curse  that  is  upon  it,  and  thus  avoided  the  strait  gate  of 
repentance  toward  God  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  therefore  they  continue  on  in  the  broad  road 
that  leads  to  destruction,  with  never  a  fear,  until  the 
storm  comes,  that  their  Christian  profession  will  in  such 
a  condition  avail  them  nothing.  Thus  there  is  a  large 
number  of  people  in  the  Christian  churches  who  are 
indifferent  about  the  saving  truth  of  God's  Word,  or 
about  the  holy  life  which  is  required  to  adorn  the  doc- 
trine there  revealed  for  our  salvation,  and  who  cannot 
abide  the  trials  which  Christians  must  endure,  but  in 
times  of  temptation  fall  away. 

Tliese  times  will  surely  come,  and  all  who  profess  to 
be  Christ's  must  be  prepared  for  them.  Those  who  do 
not  watch  and  pray,  and  faithfully  use  the  means  of 
grace,  which  work  and  nurture  faith  in  the  soul,  are  build- 
ing their  house  on  the  sand,  and  it  must  fall  when  the" 
storm  comes.  The  truth  will  be  spoken  against,  its  con- 
fessors will  be  ridiculed  .and  persecuted,  and  the  flesh, 
secretly  in  league  with  the  foe  from  the  start,  will  soon 


316  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

bring  about  an  unconditional  surrender.  The  house  of 
the  religionist  who  seeks  to  rescue  himself  from  the 
ravages  of  sin  and  win  a  place  in  heaven  by  the  exer- 
cise of  his  natural  powers,  whether  of  thought  or  senti- 
ment, of  will  or  works,  is  built  upon  the  sand,  and  all 
his  efforts,  herculean  though  they  may  be,  will  not  pro- 
tect it  against  the  rains  and  floods  and  winds  that  bear 
down  upon  it :  it  must  fall,  and  no  attempts  to  patch  it  or 
prop  it  can  avert  the  calamity.  False  prophets,  "that 
see  vanity  and  that  divine  lies,"  will  endeavor  to  flatter 
the  deluded  souls  that  there  is  no  danger,  and  that  the 
threatened  disaster  is  all  a  dream;  but  the  Word  of  our 
God  shall  stand,  and  what  it  declares  must  come  to  pass. 
"Because,  even  because  they  have  seduced  my  people, 
saying.  Peace,  and  there  was  no  peace,  and  one  built  up 
a  wall,  and  lo,  others  daubed  it  with  untempered  mortar : 
say  unto  them  which  daub  it  with  untempered  mortar, 
that  it  shall  fall:  there  shall  be  an  overflowing  shower; 
and  ye,  O  great  hailstones,  shall  fall ;  and  a  stormy  wind 
shall  rend  it."  Ezek.  13,  10.  11.  No  power  of  earth 
or  hell  shall  be  able  to  preserve  the  soul  or  the  church 
that  builds  its  hopes  of  salvation  on  any  other  founda- 
tion than  that  which  God  has  laid  in  Christ.  If  people 
will  not  heed  the  instructions  and  warnings  graciously 
given  us  in  Holy  Scripture,  they  must  abide  the  con- 
sequences. The  house  built  upon  the  sand  must  fall,  and 
great  will  be  the  fall  of  it. 

Since  God  has  given  us  His  Word  to  guide  us,  there 
is  no  need,  as  there  is  no  sense,  in  our  trying  to  find  an- 
other foundation  for  our  hope  of  eternal  blessedness  than 
that  which  He  has  laid  and  which  His  Word  reveals. 
"Therefore  whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and 
doeth-  them,  I  will  liken  him  unto  a  wise  man  which  built 
his  house  upon  a  rock;  and  the  rain  descended,  and  the 
floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew  and  beat  upon  that  house ; 
and  it  fell  not,  for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock."     The 


THE   WISE   BUILDER.  317 

Christian  faith  has  a  sure  foundation.  "Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God,  Behold  I  lay  in  Zion  for  a  foundation  a  stone, 
a  tried  stone,  a  precious  corner  stone,  a  sure  foundation : 
he  that  believeth  shall  not  make  haste.  Judjpnent  also 
will  I  lay  to  the  line  and  righteousness  to  the  plummet; 
and  the  hail  shall  sweep  away  the  refuge  of  lies,  and  the 
waters  shall  overflow  the  hiding  place."  Isa.  28,  16.  17. 
Fleeing  to  supposed  hiding  places  and  refuges  of  lies  to 
escape  from  the  wrath  to  come,  is  only  the  result  of  men's 
own  folly  who,  thinking  themselves  wise,  become  fools. 
We  have  a  Savior,  and  the  Word  of  God  directs  us  to 
Him  as  a  mighty  Savior.  We  need  no  other;  there  is  no 
other;  there  can  be  no  other.  "Be  it  known  unto  you  all, 
and  to  all  the  people  of  Israel,  that  by  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Nazareth,  whom  ye  crucified,  whom  God  raised 
from  the  dead,  even  by  Him  doth  this  man  stand  here  be- 
fore you  whole.  This  is  the  stone  which  was  set  at  naught 
of  you  builders,  which  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner. 
Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other :  for  there  is  none 
other  name  under  heaven  given  among  men  whereby  we 
must  be  saved."  Acts  4,  10-12.  The  professing  Christian 
who  neglects  this  foundation  is  building  his  house  upon  the 
sand  instead  of  the  Rock,  which  is  Christ,  and  which  bids 
defiance  to  every  stormy  wind  that  blows. 

Nor  is  it  enough  that  we  recognize  Christ  as  our 
Teacher  in  the  ways  of  righteousness.  Lost  souls  need 
something  more  than  a  teacher  that  shows  us  how  to  be 
holy,  as  God  requires  us  to  be,  and  thus  to  save  ourselves. 
He  is  not  a  Savior  by  teaching  us  to  be  our  own  saviors. 
That  we  cannot  be,  and  such  instruction  could  not  give  us 
the  consolation  which  the  sinner  needs  who  trembles  under 
the  terrors  of  the  law.  We  do  not  build  upon  the  Rock 
as  long  as  we  do  not  know  Christ  and  trust  in  Him  as  the 
Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world.  He 
is  the  Word  made  flesh  to  the  end  that  He  might  fulfill 
all  righteousness  in  our  stead,  doing  what  we  are  required 


B18  THE   SERMON   ON   THE    MOUNT. 

to  do  and  suffering  the  wages  of  our  sin.  "Surely  He  hath 
borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows;  yet  we  did 
esteem  Him  stricken,  smitten  of  God,  and  afflicted.  But 
He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  He  was  bruised 
for  our  iniquities :  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was 
upon  Him,  and  with  His  stripes  we  are  healed."  Isa.  53, 
5.  6.  He  alone  is  our  Savior,  and  to  Him  alone  belongs 
all  the  glory  of  our  salvation,  "He  was  delivered  for  our 
offences  and  raised  again  for  our  justification."  Rom. 
4,  25.  Not  what  we  do,  or  can  do,  forms  a  solid  founda- 
tion on  which  to  build  our  hope  of  eternal  life,  but  what 
the  Son  of  God  did  and  suffered  as  our  gracious  Substi- 
tute. "When  the  fulness  of  the  time  was  come,  God  sent 
forth  His  Son,  made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law,  to 
redeem  them  that  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might  re- 
ceive the  adoption  of  sons.  And  because  ye  are  sons,  God 
hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  His  Son  into  your  hearts, 
crying  Abba,  Father.  Wherefore  thou  art  no  more  a 
servant,  but  a  son;  and  if  a  son,  then  an  heir  of  God 
through  Christ."  Gal.  4,  4-7.  As  long  as  men,  though  they 
profess  to  receive  Christ  and  call  themselves  Christians,  re- 
fuse to  believe  that  He  is  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  very 
God  of  very  God,  who  was  manifest  in  the  flesh  to  offer 
Himself  as  a  sacrifice  to  make  satisfaction  for  the  sins  of 
the  world,  and  to  redeem  all  sinners  from  the  curse  that 
sin  has  brought  upon  them,  they  are  not  building  upon 
the  sure  foundation.  Eejecting  the  atonement  made  by 
One  that  was  mighty  to  save,  they  deprive  themselves 
of  all  the  power  and  all  the  comfort  that  lies  in  truly 
receiving  Christ  as  the  Savior.  "Beloved,  believe  not  every 
spirit,  but  try  the  spirits  whether  they  are  of  God ;  because 
many  false  prophets  are  gone  out  into  the  world.  Hereby 
know  ye  the  Spirit  of  God:  Every  spirit  that  confesseth 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh  is  of  God,  and  every 
spirit  that  confesseth  not  that  Jesu-s  Christ  is  come  in 
the  flesh  is  not  of  God."    1  John  4,  1-3.   "Whosoever  trans- 


THE    WISE   BUILDER.  319 

gresseth  and  abideth  not  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  hath 
not  God.  He  that  abideth  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  he 
hath  both  the  Father  and  the  Son.  If  there  come  any 
unto  you  and  bring  not  this  doctrine,  receive  him  not 
into  your  house,  neither  bid  him  Godspeed."  2  John  9. 
10.  And  this  doctrine  of  Christ  as  the  Word  made  flesh 
is  the  doctrine  of  our  salvation  through  the  atonement 
made  by  the  shedding  of  His  blood  for  the  sins  of  the 
world.  Not  that  Christ  was  a  great  legislator  and  a  heroic 
advocate  of  the  right  and  the  good,  that  we  might  learn 
by  His  precepts  and  example  liow  to  become  good  like 
Him  and  thus  save  our  souls,  is  the  precious  Gospel  writ- 
ten in  the  Bible  for  our  learning,  but  that  He  was  de- 
livered into  death  for  our  offences  and  raised  again  for 
our  justification.  "For  all  have  sinned  and  come  short  of 
the  glory  of  God,  being  justified  freely  by  His  grace 
through  the  redemption  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  whom 
God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith  in 
His  blood,  to  declare  His  righteousness  for  the  remission 
of  sins  that  are  past  through  the  forbearance  of  God,  to 
declare,  I  sa}^,  at  this  time  His  righteousness,  that  He 
might  be  just  and  the  justifier  of  him  which  believeth 
in  Jesus."  Building  upon  Him  as  the  liock  of  Ages,  the  be- 
liever is  safe  against  all  the  powers  of  darkness  and  of 
death. 

But  they  do  not  truly  build  on  Ilim  who,  though  they 
claim  to  preach  and  confess  Christ,  still  urge  the  merit  and 
the  necessity  of  good  works  for  salvation,  as  if  something 
more  were  needed  to  fulfill  all  righteousness  than  the 
atoning  work  of  our  Savior.  It  is  as  ungrateful  as  it  is 
absurd  to  think  that  the  stupendous  sacrifice  which  the 
Son  of  God  made  upon  the  cross  must  be  perfected  by 
adding  our  sin-stained  works  of  the  law,  and  the  royal 
robe  of  His  merit  were  rendered  beautiful  and  effective 
l)y  pinning  on  it  the  filthy  rags  of  our  own  righteousness. 
The  only  way  to  enjoy  the  salvation  which  our  blessed 


320  THE   SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 

Lord  secured  for  all  the  world  is  to  accept  it  by  faith. 
"He  came  unto  His  own,  and  His  own  received  Him  not. 
But  as  many  as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He  the  power 
to  become  the  sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on 
His  name."  John  1,  11.  12.  The  idea  that  men  must  do 
something  yet  to  lay  a  good  foundation,  after  God  has 
done  all  and  is  doing  all  that  the  glory  may  be  all  His  own 
as  His  alone  is  the  power,  is  never  suggested  by  the  Scrip- 
tures, but  is  a  product  of  their  own  sinful  hearts,  by  which 
Satan  would  lead  them  away  from  Christ.  "That  no  man 
is  justified  by  the  law  in  the  sight  of  God  it  is  evident ;  for 
the  just  shall  live  by  faith.  And  the  law  is  not  of  faith; 
but  the  man  that  doeth  them  shall  live  in  them.  Christ  hath 
redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being  made 
a  curse  for  us;  for  it  is  written.  Cursed  is  every  one  that 
hangeth  on  a  tree;  that  the  blessing  of  Abraham  might 
come  on  the  Gentiles  through  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  might 
receive  the  promise  of  the  Spirit  through  faith."  Gal.  3, 
11-14.  "Therefore  we  conclude  that  a  man  is  justified  by 
faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law."  Rom.  3,  28.  The  law 
of  God  is  holy  and  good,  and  God  commands  us  to  walk 
in  it.  But  because  of  the  sin  that  is  in  us  no  man  could 
fulfill  its  requirements  and  be  holy  as  God  is  holy.  There- 
fore its  curse  came  upon  all  men  because  of  their  trans- 
gressions. But  God,  who  has  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of 
the  wicked,  sent  His  Son  into  this  world  of  sin  to  fulfill 
all  the  requirements  of  the  law  in  our  stead.  "For  He 
hath  made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin,  that 
we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  2 
Cor.  5,  21. 

And  now  when  He  in  pursuance  of  His  gracious  plan, 
by  His  Holy  Spirit  works  faith  in  our  hearts  to  receive 
our  Savior  and  accept  the  great  salvation  offered  freely 
by  His  grace,  without  any  merit  or  worthiness  of  ours,  He 
wants  us  to  walk  worthy  of  Him  according  to  His  holy 
law ;  to  which  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  He  has  given  us,  also 


THE    WISE   BUILDER.  321 

moves  us.  But  the  thought  is  satanic  that  our  cheerful 
obedience  to  the  law  then  proceeds  from  the  mercenary 
motive  of  settiuj^  up  a  legal  righteousness  of  our  own,  to 
the  disparagement  of  Christ's  righteousness  received  by 
faith,  and  to  our  own  exclusion  from  its  gracious  bene- 
fits. That  is  building  our  house  upon  tiie  sand,  while  we 
profess  to  be  building  upon  the  Kock,  which  is  in  full  view, 
but  which  we  fully  ignore.  "Christ  is  become  of  no  effect 
unto  you,  whosoever  of  you  are  justifiwl  by  the  law  :  ye  are 
fallen  from  grace.  For  we  through  the  Spirit  wait  for  the 
hope  of  righteousness  by  faith."  Gal.  5,  4.  5.  The  house 
that  is  built  upon  this  rock  shall  never  fall,  however 
fierce  the  storms  that  beat  upon  it. 

Self-righteous  souls  continue,  as  they  did  in  the  time 
of  Christ  and  later  in  the  days  of  Luther,  to  traduce  the 
doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  alone,  without  the  deeds 
of  the  law.  With  seeming  concern  to  uj)liold  true  right- 
eousness, the  Pharisees,  ancient  and  modern,  deplore  the 
teaching  which  eliminates  all  creature  merit  and  rejects 
all  human  zeal  to  promote  man's  own  glory.  They  profess 
to  believe  that  the  removal  of  the  incitement  to  holy 
living  based  on  the  necessity  of  good  works  to  salvation 
and  on  the  hoi)e  of  rewards  here  and  hereafter,  must  tend 
to  undermine  true  morality  and  disparage  Christianity. 
But  people  reason  thus  because  they  have  not  known  the 
Scriptures  and  have  not  realized  the  power  of  faith.  Fie 
who  has  experienced  the  terrors  of  conscience  under  the 
wrath  of  God  denounced  by  the  law  against  his  sins,  and 
who  has  fled  for  refuge  to  the  ho])e  set  before  him  in  the 
(lospel  and  found  [)eace  in  believing,  is  not  at  all  likely 
now  to  think  of  claiming  any  merit  for  himself  or  of  buy- 
ing with  his  works  the  peace  which  the  merits  of  Chi-is(,  be- 
stowed by  grace  and  enibraccHl  by  faith,  have  given  him 
without  money  and  without  price.  The  thought  cannot  be 
permitted  to  enter  his  heart,  that  the  merits  of  Christ's 
21* 


322  THE   SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 

bitter  suffering  and  death  are  insuflflcient  and  must  be  sup- 
plemented by  his  own  good  deeds  before  they  can  avail 
for  his  salvation.  It  would  be  an  insult  to  the  Savior  of 
which  no  one  could  be  guilty  without  renouncing  Him  and 
remaining  in  the  bondage  of  sin.  Those  who  receive  Him 
by  faith  find  rest  for  their  souls,  and  receiving  power  to 
become  the  children  of  God  rejoice  to  do  His  will.  They 
are  thus  endued  with  power  from  on  high,  as  they  were 
not  by  nature,  and  the  grace  which  saves  their  souls  by 
faith  makes  them  zealous  workers  by  love.  "Do  we  then 
make  void  the  law  through  faith?  God  forbid:  yea,  we 
establish  the  law."  Rom.  3,  31.  "For  we  are  His  work- 
manship, created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,  which 
God  hath  before  ordained  that  we  should  walk  in  them." 
Eph.  2,  10.  He  who  builds  thus,  builds  wisely,  and  his 
building  shall  not  fall  when  the  storm  comes. 


"And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  ended  these 
sayings,  the  people  were  astonished  at  His  doctrine;  for 
He  taught  them  as  One  having  authority,  and  not  as  the 
scribes."  He  expounded  the  law,  but  it  was  that  w^e 
might  understand  and  believe  the  Gospel.  Hear  Him. 
To  whom  should  we  go  but  to  Thee,  O  Christ?  Thou  hast 
the  words  of  eternal  life.  Blessed  are  they  that  hear  the 
Word  of  God  and  keep  it. 


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